A Story a Day Keeps the Hollows Away!
by KittiKat626
Summary: [IchiRuki] What something that is promised to give you a new, and long, story every day to read? For Oct. 4th through Nov. 4th, I am going to be writing a new story each and every day. FINISHED!
1. Introduction

**A Story a Day Keeps the Hollows Away: October-November**

Here is where I will explain this insanity:

Each day, October 4th - November 4th, I am going to be writing a **drabble**, **One-shot** or a **multi-part** story to post in my collection. Instead of having thirty different stories cluttering up my profile, I will post them here. There will be humor, romance, fluff . . . and just _plain weird. _I decided to do this because I was getting tired of the lack of stories here. I will be editing this Introduction every single day to put out the **name**, **rating** and **description** of the newest story. That way, each person can find something they like without having to surf through every single story on here, having only the names to rely on.

Here goes. Also, when doing romance, it will probably **mostly **be Rukia/Ichigo.

Have fun, and if this goes well, I will do another one: November 5th - December 5th, and so on: Maybe even for many, many months.

One more thing: **PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Date:** October 4th

**Name**: The Beginning Of Bunnies  
**Description**: A small story about the first time Rukia saw a Bunny!  
**Rating**: PG

**Date:** October 5th

**Name: **Daddy Pt: I — Daddy Unknown  
**Descripton:** Part I to the Daddy Series.Byakuya is called back to the Living World when an Emergency comes up: His sister, Rukia, is about to give birth to a baby he hadn't even known existed until minutes before the order came. One problem: He doesn't know who the father is, and no one is helping!  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 6th

**Name: **Of Bunnies and Christmas  
**Description: **Christmas with Ichigo, Rukia, Yuzu, Karin, Isshin and Kon. Oh, yeah, and Renji and Byakuya!  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 7th

**Name: **Seesaws and Seeseals  
**Description: **Rukia and Ichigo's first day at pre-school. Filled with drawings and seeseals!  
**Rating: **G

**Date: **October 8th

**Name: **Daddy Pt: II — Daddy In Trouble  
**Description: **Part II to the Daddy Series. Will Ichigo make it out alive, what will they name the baby, and will Byakuya put his feelings aside to let Rukia and Ichigo be happy?  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 9th

**Name: **Shoe Shopping  
**Description:** Rukia needs shoes. So, she hauls Ichigo with her to go shoe shopping. Who knew shoe shopping could make one so happy?  
**Rating: **PG — Pg-13

**Date: **October 10th

**Name: **Strawberries  
**Description: **Rukia wants something. She won't give up until she has it.  
**Rating:** G

**Date: **October 11th

**Name: **Under Doggies  
**Description: **Ichigo helps Rukia swing, and something bad happens.  
**Rating:** PG

**Date: **October 12th

**Name:** Pillow Fight!  
**Description: **Pillow fights, laughing and . . . kisses?  
**Rating: **PG-13

**Date: **October 13th

**Name: **Babysitting  
**Description: **Ichigo is stuck babysitting. Ouch, huh?  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 14th

**Name: **Phone Talk  
**Description: **Rukia on a phone talking . . . . Ichigo listening . . . and it all sounds wrong.  
**Rating: **PG-13

**Date: **October 15th

**Name: **Twenty Questions Pt: I  
**Description: **Part I in a 2 part series. Twenty questions little Ichigo is likely to ask.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 16th

**Name: **Daddy Pt: III — The Wedding  
**Description: **Part III to the Daddy Series. Ichigo and Rukia's wedding! Lots of fun, fluff and nervousness!  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 17th

**Name: **Twenty Questions — Part II  
**Description: **Part II in a 2 part series. Twenty questions Rukia (Current Age) is likely . . . or not . . . to ask.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 18th

**Name: **Says Who?  
**Description: **He never fights back. He always lets her win because he wants to.  
**Rating: **G

**Date: **October 19th

**Name: **Unspoken  
**Description: **Part I in a IV Part Series - Neither speak it aloud. But he knows it, and she does too. They love each other.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 20th

**Name: **Unheard  
**Description: **Part II in a IV Part Series **- **He speaks, but he knows that she won't hear . . .  
**Rating:** PG

**Date: **October 21st

**Name: **Untold  
**Description: **Part III in a IV Part Series - As she walks away, he lets her; he doesn't stop her, no matter how much he wants to. And he wishes . . .  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 22nd

**Name: **Untouched ::I Will Hold You::  
**Description: **Part IV in a IV Part Series - He protects her no matter what. He always will . . .  
**Rating: **PG-13

**Date: **October 23rd

**Name: **Don't Touch It, Stupid.  
**Description: **An Arguements turns sweet when he hurts himself.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 24th

**Name: **The Problem With Soul Candy  
**Description: **All Soul Candy is defective; or so it would seem considering Rukia and Ichigo's luck. Oh, and lipstick . . .  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 25th

**Name: **The Star  
**Description: **Christmas and a star. Do lights taste good?  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 26th

**Name: **Daddy Pt: IV — Gently Sing  
**Description: **Part IV to the Daddy Series. Nursery rymes are something that will stick with you forever. And as her soft voice floats over the baby monitor, he feels as though he can hear his mother, too.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 27th

**Name: **Stuffing  
**Description: **There are two kinds of stuffing . . .  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **October 28th

**Name: **Photograph  
**Description: **A photograph holds so much more than memories . . .  
**Rating: **G

**Date: **October 29th

**Name: **Daddy Pt: V — Double Trouble  
**Description: **Part V to the Daddy Series. A normal vists to Renij and Byakuya turnes into much more as Rukia goes into labor.  
**Rating: **PG-13 (For safety!!)

**Date:** October 30th 

**Name:** Costumes and Customs  
**Description:** Halloween and strange costumes and customs.  
**Raiting:** PG

**Date:** October 31st

**Name:** Daddy Pt: VI — I See U  
**Description:** Part VI to the Daddy Series. Life four years later. Did you know Masaki and Kaien can see ghosts?  
**Rating:** PG-13

**Date: **November 1st

**Name:** Go Eat A Bug!  
**Description: **Math Homework, Bugs and Pillow Fights!  
**Rating: **G

**Date: **November 2nd

**Name: **Video Games  
**Description: **The title gives it away . . .  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **November 3rd

**Name: **One Last Time  
**Description: **And as we are here together, I will hold you one last time.  
**Rating: **PG

**Date: **November 4th

**Name: **The End?  
**Description: **Do happy endings _really_ exist?  
**Rating: **PG

** THE END **


	2. Oct 4 — The Beginning Of Bunnies

This is set when Rukia was just sent to the Soul Society when she was a child, only a little while before she met Renji ans the others. No spoilers besides what I just said there, which wasn't much. It's about her first encounter with a Bunny, and how she came to obsess with them like she does.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rukia. I do own Speckels, though.

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**The Beginning of Bunnies**

Rukia hit the snow hard, her eyes stinging with tears as the older boys who had pushed her down laughed. She stuck out her lower lip, picking herself shakily up off the ground. The oldest boy in the group pushed her back down before running off to join the rest of the group. Rukia just continued to sit on the ground, her light blue dress slowly getting soaked with water from the show melting against her body.

Shivering, she crawled into a corner against the nearest house, one she knew to belong to a nasty, old man. He got mad whenever he saw kids playing around. But huddled up against the hard wood of the front of the house, Rukia felt a little safer.

The snow soon began falling again. As rukia tried to push herself further into the wood to escape the wet, falling snowflakes, she saw a beautiful, white animal walking across the snow. The body of the animal was so small that it walked upon the hardened snow from days before without falling in. Soon, a second small animal followed the first. Rukia smiled, forgetting all about the cold, and slowly inched closer to the animals.

Soon a third followed, then a forth. Rukia was clapping her small hands in excitment now, her tongue sticking out between her teeth. Behind the forth animal followed a fifth small one, then a larger one. Much larger than the others. Surprised, Rukia fell back in the snow, her head landing softly in the weeks of built up snow.

Suddenly, one of the small animals fell through the snow. The bigger one, whom Rukia guessed was the mother, raced to her baby and quickly pulled it out of the snow with her mouth, lifting it back up and giving it a gentle nudge to keep walking. Rukia smiled, watching as the animals, who she had heard called bunnies, walked across the snow. Several more fell in, and the mother continued to pull them back up, setting them straight again before walking on behind her baby bunnies.

All too soon for Rukia, they were out of sight. The mother followed the babies, pulling them up when they fell down, and urging them on through the snow, anxious to get back to where they were going; probably home.

Rukia smiled sadly; she didn't have a home, and she didn't have a mommy to pick her up when she fell, or to urge her forward in life. She was just Rukia, with no one to look after her.

As Rukia pulled herself to her feet, wanting to get someplace warm, she looked down in surprise when she saw something move.

It was one of the baby bunnies!

Excited now, Rukia picked up the tiny baby with her fingers, placing it in the palm of her hand, careful not to hurt it.

"I'll take you back to your mommy!" Rukia exclaimed, pulling her torn jacket so it would cover the bunny. Rukia then began running through the snow, trying to find where the other bunnies had gone. Several times, her bare feet slipped in the snow, and she fell forward, but continued to shield the little bunny. She didn't know why she did it so naturally, but she guessed it was because she had never had someone to protect her. So, instead of being protected, she wanted to be the protector. It seemed right . . . right?

Shivering badly, Rukia gave up looking for the mommy bunny and finally walked inside a small barn; her feet were bright red with the cold, and she could no longer feel them. Her nose was running, and her hands were going numb around the warm body of the tiny bunny.

"What should I call you?" Rukia asked, looking the bunny over. Unlike the others, it was different. Instead of being a pure, white snow bunny, it had a small, brown mark on its head. The mark was in the shape of a diamond. There were also several dots on its stomach. "I think I'll call you ... "

Rukia was deep in thought, trying to force the cold fog from her brain so she could come up with a name for the little bunny. Finally, a smile lit her face as she brought it up to eye level. The bunny just blinked its tiny eyes.

"I'll call you Speckles, because on your tummy, you have little dots!" Rukia announced, giggling. Nodding her head, she leaned back against the hay bale she had sat down by. The tiny bunny clasped tightly in her hands, she closed her eyes for a second, wishing the cold would just go away.

Soon, she could no longer feel her hands, and her grip on the bunny started to loosen. Her eyes slipped closed as her hands fell to her side. The bunny slipped out of her grasp, and Rukia thought fleetingly, thought she could do nothing about it, that a drop like that, though only a foot, would kill the baby bunny.

But it never hit the ground.

Rukia looked up to see a small boy sitting beside her. He had strange colored hair, and he was missing two front teeth. He had caught the bunny in his bare hand. He smiled and held out the bunny to her. She blinked her eyes, trying to keep them open.

"W-who are y-y-you?" Rukia stuttered, her lips frozen with cold.

"I'm your protector. And Speckles's, too, I guess."

That was all the little boy said. He took of his jacket and wrapped it around Rukia's body, setting the bunny in her lap before walking to the door.

"No, p-p-please don't leave me," Rukia stuttered, reaching out. He just smiled.

"I'm always with you. I will always protect you. But someone is coming to help. I told them where you are. You will be fine," the little boy said.

As Rukia strained to listen, she heard two voices. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were there. And they were going to help her.

Rukia looked back to see the little boy smiling widly, his missing teeth showing clearly. His orange hair was speckled with white snow.

"Bye for now, Rukia."

Rukia glanced back at the barn door, then, when she saw a bright light, back to the boy, only to find that he was gone. The two people walked inside and picked her up, wrapping her in their coats to keep her warm. One of them spoke to her, trying to ger her to respond, then yelled to the younger man to go get the doctor.

Rukia didn't hear anything after that. She fell into sleep, the bunny still grasped in her hands.

She did have a protector, and he was always watching out for her.

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Well? What did you think? I have always wanted to write something about how Rukia came to love bunnies SO darn much! LOL. Anyway . . .

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Oct 5 — Daddy Pt: I — Daddy Unknown

Well, here you have it! October 5th. Sorry for being so late in getting it up! I have been busy today. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! I didn't get any reviews for my last one, though I did have 120 hits. :(

Anyway, ages are different in this, and some things might be AU. And Byakyua might be a LITTLE out of character.

**Ages: (**Rukia, Byakuya and Renji are unknown because it is said that they have lived in the Soul Society for over a hundred years

**Ichigo/Ishida/Chad/Inoue**(Seeing as how their all the same age): 19  
**Rukia**: Unknown, though she looks as old as the others: 19  
**Renji**: Unknown, though he looks 19-21  
**Byakuya**: Unknown: He looks 25 or so.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rukia, Ichigo, Byakuya ... and all the others. I do, however, own Rukia's baby!

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**Daddy Pt: I - Daddy Unknown**

"Who is the father?"

Byakuya stood facing Ichigo, Ishida, Inoue, Chad and Renji. They were all standing in the white halls of the Labor and Delivery section of an Earth Hospital. Byakuya was there against his will, but when he had been contacted and asked to return to Earth for an emergency, he had no choice but to go because it involved his sister.

The emergency had been unknown, but the second he had come through the gate, Ichigo was waiting for him, refusing to tell anything, and led him quickly to the hospital.

He had arrived to find Rukia in labor, eight months pregnant.

And that was where everyone was now. No one knew, or was _telling_, who the baby's father was. Byakuya wasn't stupid; he knew that at least one of the large group had to know who was the father of Rukia's baby, but no one was speaking.

"I asked who the father was!" Byakuya yelled, his fists clenched in frustration. "And how come she's in there alone?" Concern took over fury as he realized that not one of Rukia's friends were with her when she was going through this.

"Rukia kicked us out, yelling something about killing Renji if he said another word, and killing Ichigo if he ever got near her . . . after she broke his fingers," Ishida reported.

Byakuya looked over in surprise at Ichigo, who was leaning up against the wall. He smirked and held up his hand, which was wrapped in several layers of cloth.

"All five," Ichigo grumbled. "I don't think they'll ever be the same again."

Byakuya didn't comment.

Suddenly a scream came from the delivery room. Everyone winced. Byakuya turned back to the group.

"How come I wasn't informed that my sister was pregnant?"

This time, Ichigo answered.

"Well, she thought that you would lose it . . . like you're doing right now." Ichigo got up from his position against the wall, using both hands to push himself forward. He regretted it _badly_.

Screaming in pain, Ichigo dropped into the nearest chair, holding his injured hand in his uninjured one. He took a deep breath in, closing his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Are you OK, Kurosaki-Kun?" Inoue asked, concern lighting her eyes. Ichigo nodded, looking back down at his hand as he flexed his wrist. The tips of his fingers, which were showing from the thick wrappings around his hand, were pulsing red.

"You should have that looked at," Byakuya said, looking at Ichigo. "Rukia can't heal it, for obvious reasons, and Inoue can't heal it because we are in a public place, and her healing process is ... well, noticable."

Ichigo shook his head.

"They would take hours. When I broke my leg in preschool, they had me in here all night. And I plan to give Rukia a piece of my mind for breaking my hand in the first place."

"I will not have you bothering my sister," Byakuya growled, making Ichigo shrink back. He grumbled something about 'Just joking'.

Just as a loud scream erupted from the room Rukia was in, Ichigo accidently _sat_ on his hand. No one was sure who screamed louder: Ichigo or Rukia. It was a close call. Ichigo's scream made everyone turn around and stare at him.

"Oh, come on, Kurosaki. You've taken worse wounds than this. Buck up," Ishida said.

"Ishida, I swear, if you don't shut-up, I will break all of your fingers, too," Ichigo growled.

Byakuya then turned to look at Renji and Chad, who had been silent the whole time.

"Do either of you know who's the father of Rukia's baby?"

Neither answered. They knew, and weren't trying to hide the fact that they knew, but they weren't telling.

"Why will no one tell me?" Byakuya yelled.

No one answered.

The next thirty minutes were spent in silence, the only sounds being the screaming from Rukia, and the occasional whine of pain from Ichigo. What seemed like days later, a nurse poked her head out from the door of the room Rukia was in. She smiled and looked around the group.

"No more than five in the room at a time," she said. Everyone looked at each other, and Chad said he would stay behind so everyone else could go in. Byakuya, Ichigo, Renji, Ishida and Inoue walked inside.

When they entered the room, Rukia was sitting up in bed. There was little mess in the room; someone must had cleaned up most everything so not to get the baby sick. Not paying much attention to anything else, Byakuya walked over to Rukia. She was holding the baby in her arms. Ichigo and Renji stood beside her bed, while Inoue and Ishida stood back.

"It's a six pound, five ounce baby boy. You're an Uncle," the nurse said to Byakuya, having been informed of his relation to Rukia.

Rukia looked up at everyone, grinning, but clearly tired.

"You want to hold him, Nii-Sama?" _(A/N: Nii-Sama means Brother, basically)_

"Sure," Byakuya said, reaching out and gently taking the tiny baby from Rukia. He was wrapped in a light blue blanket from head to toe; only his face was showing. The first thing Byakuya did was glance at the baby's eyes, hoping for a sign of who the father was. The baby had eyes exactly like Rukia's. Darn.

Rukia looked at everyone else, her eyes landing on Ichigo's hand. She winced.

"Did I do that?" she asked. Ichigo nodded.

"I'm gonna hurt that nurse that suggested I hold you hand. And you have a devil of a grip," Ichigo growled happily. He was smiling, trying to get a look at the baby from the angle in which Byakuya was holding it.

"Well, it is partly your fault. You're the one who got me pregn-" Rukia cut herself off a _little_ too late. As she spoke the words, Byakuya, who was only listening partly, had moved the blanket off of the baby's head to discover . . . _orange _hair.

"Ah, crap." Was all Ichigo said. Byakuya turned to look at him.

"_**KUROSAKI**_!"

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The next part might not be up tomorrow, it might be a while. I am going to split up the Multi-Parters up over many days. :P 

**PLEASE REVIEW** and tell me you thoughts. If you review, I might not have Byakuya kill Ichigo . . .


	4. Oct 6 — Of Bunnies and Christmas

This came to me while I was eating my brothers birthday cake. I don't know why! And forgive me for making it soo long! Ah! My fingers just wouldn't stop! Anyway, I have to go now. Forth period in school starts in like . . . five minutes!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. If you want to sue, ask someone richer than me.

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Of Bunnies and Chistmas

"Gimmie! Gimmie! Gim-"

Kon was cut off by both a foot from Ichigo and a foot from Rukia in the face. He mumbled something they couldn't understand and then fell to the floor. Ichigo picked him up and threw him across the room into the laundry shoot. He would wake in a few hours in a pile of dirty clothes. Who cared?

Yuzu did.

"Oh, Ichi! Be more kind to Kon!"

"Why? Yuzu, I swear, sometimes I regret even telling you about that godforsaken lion," Ichigo whined.

"And the Soul Society and Shinagami!" Yuzu added happily. "Plus, daddy and Karin already knew, so it would have been mean not to tell me." Yuzu's eyes were glowing happily as Ichigo and Rukia watched her.

"Now, scuttle your butt out. I'm still wrapping your and Karin's presents," Ichigo said gently, taking his sister by the shoulders and driving her out of the room. Yuzu smiled and then returned to the kitchen, humming happily as she started dinner. Christmas was only a few days away, and she was probably the most excited person in the house. Having Kon and Rukia with them was going to make it even more exciting.

Suddenly, a loud screech from the next room made Yuzu drop her spoon on the floor. She quickly ran into her father's bedroom, where the scream had come from, and where Rukia and Ichigo were wrapping the twins presents. Well, Ichigo was wrapping. Rukia was just playing with everything, most intrested by the big fluffy bows that Ichigo was putting on the wrapped presents. Last time Yuzu had been in the room, Rukia was wearing two of the bows as hair-pins.

"What happened?" Yuzu asked, walking in.

"Rukia ran her finger across the tape cutter," Ichigo reported. Yuzu walked over, wincing when she saw Rukia's fingers bleeding.

"Are you OK, Rukia-Chan?" Yuzu asked, putting her spoon down and walking over. Ichigo was holding a washrag that he had been using for a marker eraser ove Rukia's fingers. The blood had already soaked through.

"I've taken worse than this," Rukia said, smiling slightly. Ichigo added more pressure to the wash rag, trying to cut off the bleeding. Rukia winced loudly.

"Let me get the first aid kit," Yuzu said, running out of the room.

"What _is_ that thing?" Rukia asked, glaring at the tape cutter. It was about an inch and a half wide, and had sharp, in Ichigo's words, _teeth_ on the top. Rukia, curious as always, had run her fingers across the teeth.

"It's to cut tape off of a roll if the normal cutter is broken. I told you not to touch it."

"And since when have I ever listened to you?" Rukia asked.

"Good answer. No, really, Rukia, this cut is deep. I might have to do a few stitches."

It turned out that there was needed three sticthes on each of the three cut fingers. After doing the stitching like his dad had taught him, Ichigo wrapped Rukia's fingers in gauze and held the gauze on with tape. Yuzu had, again, been kicked out of the room so Ichigo could finish wrapping.

"Here, play with this," Ichigo said, handing a roll of stickers to Rukia. "Write Yuzu and Kairn's name on a few of them, will you?"

"OK."

So they both went happily back to work. It was soon interrupted when Rukia moved closer to what Ichigo was wrapping. It looked like a _bunny_.

"Who's is that?" she asked, curiously. Ichigo gasped and pulled the present behind his back.

"None of your buissness," he snapped, his face flushing a little.

Rukia pouted, but went back to writing names on stickers. She tried to steal a glance at the present, but Ichigo had wrapped it fast, and again hidden it behind his back. After a few minutes, when she handed him a sticker saying 'Yuzu' he shook his head.

"I'm done with theirs. Now, you," Ichigo took her by the shoulders and pushed her out of the room. "Out."

Ichigo sighed in relief and walked back over to the bed, sitting down and taking the badly, and fastly, wrapped present out from behind him. He unwrapped it and set to wrapping it more carefully. When he reached across the bed for the stickers, he found they _all_ had crude pictures of bunnies on them.

"_Rukia!_" he growled quietly. Sighing, he set to making his own stickers. Well, at least he had made the right choice in getting something bunny centric for Rukia for Christmas.

**Christmas Eve Night**

Ichigo woke up at about three AM and walked out of his room and into the kitchen, filling a glass with water and drinking it quickly. On his way back up to bed, he saw someone in the kitchen doorway. Passing it off as Yuzu or his dad trying to sneak a look at their presents, he walked back up to his room, collapsing onto his bed with a grunt.

In the morning, he woke to Yuzu jumping up and down on his bed, laughing happily. His dad, Karin and Rukia were standing in the doorway, all still in their pajamas. His dad had pajamas that were both striped _and_ polka-dot; Karin's were plain green; and Rukia's were covered in bunnies.

"Uppy! Uppy! Ichi!" Yuzu said, smiling. She _never_ got this excited unless it was Christmas. Even Karin looked excited.

"Fine, I'm up."

Ichigo pulled himself from his bed. He walked out with everyone, still in his pajamas.

They all walked out into the living room to find Kon already ripping at his presents.

"Ichigo, this is your year to hand out the presents," Isshin said, smiling. Ichigo nodded. Each year, one person would hand out a present to each person, and, going in age order, they would each open the present. Then everyone would dig in. It was something their mom had come up with to keep the kids calm until everyone was awake and ready.

Ichigo shuffled through the pile, handing a present each to the twins. After handing one to his dad and throwing Kon down the laundry shoot again, Ichigo shuffled through the piles of presents until he found the one he was looking for. Smiling, he handed it to Rukia. He was about to grab one that had his name on it when Rukia handed him something. He looked down at the present. The wrapping was a littls sloppy, and the sticker had drawings of bunnies all over it. It said: From, Rukia.To, Ichigo.

His smile grew and they all sat down on the floor. Yuzu was younger than Karin by ten minutes, so she went first. She opened her present to find a new stuffed animal. It was a lion, much like Kon, but it was one of those 'Doodle bears'. Karin also found one, but it was in the shape of a cat.

They let Rukia go after the twins, Isshin saying "Girls first!".

She smiled and took off the wrapping.

"Ohh, it's soo cute!"

It was a doodle bunny. Ichigo smiled.

"I saw it in the store while grabbing Karin and Yuzu's, and I figured you could use some work on your crappy drawings an-"

He didn't get any further because Rukia had slapped him upside the head. Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he looked down at the present in his hand, knowing it was his turn next.

He carefully unwrapped it.

Inside sat a small, square object. Ichigo looked puzzled.

"Um, what is it?"

"It's a pass so you can get into and out of the Soul Society without having to fight their hulking guard," Rukia said happily, already to work on doodling on her bunny.

"How did you get it?"

"Believe me, it was an awkward conversation. And I had to get it from Nii-Sama. That was worse."

"Thanks! This will help a ton."

Everyone had little idea of what they were talking about.

"My turn!" Isshin shouted happily. He ripped open his present. To find a doodle dog.

"Iiiichigo!" he whined. Ichigo smirked. Then, recovering, he shouted, "Dig in!"

Soon, all the presents were open, and everyone was playing in their respective corners. Rukia was laying on her stomach on the ground, her feet kicking back and forth in the air as she worked hard on fitting another drawing onto the doodle bunny. Ichigo watched her from across the room, glad that he had bought the bunny. The doodle animals were usually for kids. Let them draw for hours, then wash the drawings off in the washer, and let them draw more. But he knew Rukia's love for drawing, and her obsession for bunnies, and couldn't resist getting it for her.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the gameboy he had recieved. He was in the middle of fighting something that looked a _little_ too much like a Hollow for his liking when the doorbell rang. Sighing, he got up to answer it. No one else paid attention to it. He opened the door to find Renji and Byakuya at the door.

"Uh ... hi?"

"Yo, Ichigo!" Renji said happily.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but why are you guys here?" Ichigo asked.

"Just dropping in for a second. We had orders to come check up on you, like we usually do. How's Rukia?" Renji asked.

"She's fine. Come on it, if you want," Ichigo said, moving away from the door. Both Byakuya and Renji were in street clothes, as they usually were when they came to check up on them. Since Rukia had gone back to the Living World, and Ichigo ad been let go from the Soul Society without much way of anyone tracking him, Byakuya and Renji came to check up on them once a month. Ichigo guessed it was always them because of their relationship with Rukia.

"Oh, Rukia!" Ichigo called, walking back into the livingroom. "Company!"

Rukia looked up from her doodle bunny, having found a free space on the back, and smiled when she saw Byakuya and Renji.

"Nii-Sama!"

Not letting go of the bunny, she gave her brother and childhood friend big hugs.

"What is that thing?" Renji asked, pointing to the bunny.

"The bunny, or the unworldly drawings?" Ichigo asked, and, to his dismay, earned a smack . . . with the bunny, on the head from Rukia.

"Will you ever learn?" Renji asked. Ichigo shook his head, rubbing the sore spot. He then looked around the room to find his whole family staring at Byakuya and Renji.

"Um . . . friends," he explained. "Come on, everyone, let's go to my room."

Ten minutes later, everyone was sitting up in the bedroom, having gone through the normal questions. Had an unnormal amount of Hollows attacked? Were they stronger than usual? The ususal things everyone asked. All of Soul Society was still on edge from Aizen's attack.

"Everything's fi-" Ichigo began speaking, but was cut off as Kon flew into his face.

"Look what I found, Ichigo!" Kon said happily, holding up a pink bra. Ichigo turned a deeper shade of red than he could ever remember in his life. "It was in the laundry! I think it's Nee-Sans!" _(A/N: Nee-San is what Kon calls Rukia)_

"Give. Me. That_ NOW!"_ Rukia roared, grabbing the bra from Kon and stuffing it in her pocket. She then proceded to stomp on Kon. Renji looked over, curiously, at Ichigo.

"That normal?"

"Pretty . . . much . . ." Ichigo said, staring at poor Kon, whose stuffing was beginning to come out. Byakuya just raised an eyebrow.

**Later That Night**

Rukia and Ichigo were cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner. They were currently doing dishes, and since they were able to convince Renji and Byakuya to stay for dinner, there was only that much more. Ichigo was washing, and Rukia was drying and putting away.

"Hey, Rukia . . ." Ichigo trailed off, smiling as Rukia turned to look at him. "I bet these would look really pretty on you," he said, taking his hand out from behind his back and beginning to rub a handful of soap suds into Rukia's hair. She shrieked, grabbing a handful of suds and throwing them at Ichigo. He laughed and grabbed more.

Soon, it was a full-out sud war.

When all the suds were gone, Rukia and Ichigo were still laughing, and were covered in many, many suds.

Ichigo's eyes met Rukia's, into which was dripping soap from her hair. His laughing slowly quieted down. Suddenly, Rukia asked, "Ichigo, what's that?"

Ichigo looked up to see what she was pointing at. Ah, crap. So _that_ was what the person he had seen in the kitchen doorway the night before had been doing.

"It's uh . . . Mistletoe."

"What's mistletoe?" Rukia asked curiously.

"It's tradition than when two people stand under it ... um . . ."

"What?"

Rukia reeally wasn't going to let this go. Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his suddy hair.

"When two people stand under it, they have to ... well, kiss. It's only tradition, though," Ichigo said quickly. He was nervous. Rukia seemed deep in thought as she stared up at the spring of mistletoe. Suddenly, she stood up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips to Ichigo's. He was taken completely by surprise as Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck.

Soon, he responded, placing his hands on her waist. He couldn't think right. In fact, every trace of thought just flew out the window the second Rukia had started kissing him. Rukia slipped her tongue into his mouth, and he didn't care that he couldn't think. One could think later. Right now, all that mattered was Rukia.

Renji an Byakuya were watching from further off.

Renji threw a hand up in the air.

"You will not believe how much money I have just won!"

Byakuya stared at him, his eyes showing dissaproval.

"You bet on my sister's personal life?"

"Uh . . ." Renji looked anywhere but at Byakuya. "Ha ha . . .bye now!"

As Renji ran out the door, Byakuya on his heels, he accidently stepped on Rukia's doodle bunny, which was sitting, forgotten for the moment, on the floor.

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Well, there you have it. Insanity in a nutshell. I hope you liked it!

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Oct 7 — Seesaws and Seeseals

This one's AU! It is set durning our timeline, with no Shinigami or Hollows. :D I hope you like it! It came to me when my little brother prounounced "Seesaw" as "Seeseal" yesterday at the park.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Bleach characters!

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**Seesaws and Seeseals**

"Mommy, I can do it myself!" four-year-old Ichigo whined, reaching up his small hand to grip the washrag his mother was holding. She was trying to wipe some ketchup off of his forehead; she didn't even know how it had gotten there. "Can I go in now?"

"Yes, Ichigo. Have fun, and be a good boy, OK?"

"Yes, mommy!" Ichigo yelled back, waving happily. Today was his first day of pre-school. He was going to have a ball!

He was early; not many people were there, so he dropped down by the gates to wait for the other kids to arrive. He must have sat there for ten minutes before any kids showed up. The first was a young boy with blond hair. Ichigo didn't pay much attention. Something else had caught his eye. Behind the little boy stood a small girl. She had black, shoulder-length hair and deep, blue eyes and pale skin. She was wearing a white spaghetti strap tank-top and khaki shorts. On her feet she wore simple, white sandals.

She was clinging to an older man, crying. Ichigo suddenly felt sad. He felt like he did when one of his baby sisters cried. Whenever they cried, which was a _lot_, he always felt sad.

What did he do when they were sad? Oh, yeah.

Ichigo stood to his feet, whacking some of the dust off his jeans before smiling and running over to the little girl. Smiling brightly, he gave her a quick hug and stood back, sticking his tongue out through his missing teeth.

"Hi! I'm Ichigo! Wanna pway? No one else is here," Ichigo said enthusiastically, pointing off to the playground.

"I-I . . . " The little girl looked up at the older man, wiping her tears away. He smiled slightly. Ichigo looked up, and up, and up. Boy, this guy was tall. He had black hair like the little girl, which was pulled into funny hair-holders. Like the ones his mom wore!

"Hi, Mister-Kun!" Ichigo said, now bouncing up and down on his feet. The man smiled a little more and bent down beside the little girl and whispered something in her ear, then gave the girl a gentle nudge toward Ichigo.

"Hi. I'm R-rukia," the girl said.

"That's a pretty name!" Ichigo said, still bouncing up and down on his feet. His orange hair was flying around on his head, making it more messy than ever. His eyes were shining. "Wet's go pway on the Seeseal!" _(A/N: Wet's is because Ichigo can't pronounce l's right. My sis had that problem until she was six)_

"Seesaw," the older man corrected.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, turning to him.

"It's a seesaw, not a seeseal."

"Really?" Ichigo looked deep in thought for a minute. Rukia shuffled around on her feet. Finally, Ichigo shrugged. "Whatever! C'mon, wets go pway!" And, taking Rukia's hand, he pulled her off toward the playground. Rukia managed a small smile as she waved back to the older man.

"Bye bye, Nii-Sama!"

He waved and then walked off back to the car he had come in.

Suddenly, Ichigo stopped, looking off into the bushes. Rukia stopped beside him, putting her finger in her mouth as she tried to see what Ichigo was seeing.

"A bunny!" Ichigo said happily, running off to try and catch it. Rukia's eyes lit up as she raced after him. Ichigo pounced the bunny, but it ran away, leaving Ichigo on his stomach in the dirt. He just giggled, rolling over onto his back.

"Seaseal!"

Boy, was he random today.

"I wanna pway on the Seaseal!"

Rukia shrugged and followed Ichigo over to the seasaw. He climbed on one end and Rukia on the other. Ichigo's laughter was contagious. Rukia was soon giggling along as they went back and forth on the seasaw.

When her brother and his wife, her adoptive parents, had brought her here, she didn't think she was gong to have any fun. She thought it would be scary. But this bright haired kid had made her seem like she belonged in minutes. He was fun to be around. He seemed to always be happy and smiling. It made her happy, too.

"I wanna draw!" Rukia said suddenly, jumping off the sea-saw, making Ichigo fall tom the ground with a bang. He didn't seem to mind, however, and they went in search of paper and crayons. One of the teachers gave them some to keep them busy while the other kids arrived. It was only about ten minutes until pre-school started; everyone would be there soon.

Grabbing his paper and crayons, Ichigo scooted closer to Rukia to stare at what she was drawing. She was hard at work, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. Ichigo shrugged and set to work on his drawing.

First, he drew his mommy and daddy. Then he drew his two baby sisters. Karin was in his mom's arms because she couldn't walk yet. But he drew Yuzu on the ground, holding his hand, because she _could_ walk. After drawing one more person, he filled in the background with grass and trees. Looking up at the clock, for he had just learned to tell time, upon his dad's insisting, he realized that it was eight-thirty, time for pre-school to start. He nudged Rukia.

"I wanna see what you drew!"

"You first," Rukia said, trying to peek at his drawing. Ichigo smiled and held it up for her to see.

"This is mommy and daddy. That's Karin and Yuzu," he said pointing out the stick figures on the paper. "And that's you because your my friend!"

Rukia smiled, looking at the little stick figure that was supposed to be her. It was holding Ichigo's hand; the hand his sister wasn't holding.

"I drew this!" Rukia said, happily holding up her picture.

"Bunnies?" Ichigo asked, frowning. He then turned over and stood on his head, as if looking at it upside down would reveal some hidden secret. He then fell back on to his feet. "Yup. It's bunnies," he said, his smile returning as he sighed.

"You don't like it?" Rukia asked. Ichigo just shrugged. Then, he got a reaction that he would have never guessed a girl would give. She punched him in the arm.

"Ochie!" Ichigo said, rubbing his arm. He stuck his bottom lip out. Then, his smile returned. It seemed impossible to keep the smile off his face for more than a minute. "When pre-school is over, can we play on the seeseal some more?"

"Seesaw," Rukia corrected.

"Huh?"

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**Please review!** I hope you all liked it. It just came to me, and I HAD to write it! Giggles


	6. Oct 8 — Daddy Pt: II — Daddy In Trouble

Well, here is part two! I hope you like it. There will be several more parts. The next on is about . . . find out at the end of this chapter!

And I know I listed Rukia and Ichigo as 19, but to make things clear, they started trying for a baby when they were eighteen. A little young, I guess. But not so for Rukia. Learn more as you read!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters in bleach. I do own Kaien (MY Kaian, **not** the one in the Manga/Anime) though.

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Daddy Pt: II - Daddy In Trouble

Ichigo was scared for his life.

Everyone in the room had their eyes on him and Byakuya. The nurses, the doctors, Rukia, Ishida, Inoue . . . _everyone_. No one made a sound. No one except the baby. He wasn't to keen on being ignored, so he began crying. Rukia gently rocked him back and forth, her natural mothering instincts taking over. Ichigo glanced over at the baby for a second before his gaze returned to Byakuya. Who was still staring at him.

"Please don't kill me."

The request sounded awkward to the nurses and doctors, but they must have seen this before, so no one commented. No one spoke for a minute, then one of the nurses, a brave young man, broke in.

"Um . . . we still need a name for the baby to go on the birth certificate," he said. Ichigo turned from Byakuya, chancing it, and leaned over to whisper in Rukia's ear.

"Didn't we agree on Kaien?" he asked softly, reaching over to touch the baby's hand. Rukia nodded. She turned to the doctor, smiling weakly.

"Kaien Ichigo Kurosaki," she said. The nurse nodded.

"How do you want that spelled?"

Rukia oversaw the spelling, making sure it was right, then nodded. The nurse asked a few questions to Rukia and Ichigo to finish the certificate. Rukia then turned around to Ichigo.

"Here, you should hold him," she said. Ichigo looked nervous, but accepted the baby from Rukia's arms. Little Kaien squiggled for a second before resting happily in Ichigo's grip. An insanely huge smile began spreading over Ichigo's face as he stared at the baby.

Renji leaned over Ichigo's shoulder, smiling at the baby.

"Huh. He sure does look a lot like you," he commented. Ichigo's smile only grew.

Byakuya, who was standing in the corner now, was neither frowning nor smiling. He wasn't too keen on Rukia giving the baby Ichigo's name as a middle, but she had also listed the baby as a Kurosaki. Since Rukia and Ichigo weren't married, the baby should have been a Kuchiki, not a Kurosaki.

"I hope he doesn't get your personality, but it seems as though he already has. He's restless," Renji said.

"No, I think he's hungry," the nurse said, coming over. "I will show Mrs. Kurosaki how to feed the baby, then we need to take him to the newborns room. Daddy can stay, everyone else, I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Everyone exited the room, no one correcting the nurse about his calling Rukia as 'Mrs. Kurosaki'.

An hour later, Rukia was sleeping quietly in her room. Ichigo had left a little while ago, prodded out by the nurse, and had walked over to the clear glass room that let new parents watch their babies. He quickly spotted Kaien, the small bunch of orange hair on his head giving him away instantly. He was awake, and crying. Ichigo wanted so badly to walk in and hold him, but he knew he wasn't allowed to.

Kaien looked almost exactly like Ichigo; the hair, the skin tone, the facial features, everything. But the eyes were Rukia's in too many ways to count.

Ichigo smiled and pressed his hand up against the glass, as if reaching out to the crying baby.

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo winced at the voice, removing his hand from the glass and turning around to stare into the face of Byakuya.

"What do you want?"

Ichigo knew it probably wasn't the best of ideas to talk to a Captain like that. But he knew Byakuya wouldn't kill him then and there; dozens of children were in the directly range of his target.

Byakuya didn't speak. Maybe he was surprised at the tone of voice Ichigo had used, or maybe he didn't have anything to say. Ichigo took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Look, Byakuya, I know you hate me. I know you think I'm not good enough. But I love Rukia. I really do, and isn't _that _good enough?" When Byakuya didn't respond, Ichigo took a chance and continued, "I love Rukia, and I love our baby. And nothing you say or do will change that. If you hate me, fine. But don't take it out on Rukia and Kaien."

Then, without another word, Ichigo turned back to the glass, staring at Kaien. He had stopped crying and was sleeping again.

"Do you think she's really happy?" Byakuya asked, not moving from his spot. He watched Ichigo's back as he stiffened at his words.

"I do. I really think she's happy," Ichigo said firmly. He continued staring at the window. "Did she ever tell you that she's always wanted a child?"

"No," Byakuya answered.

"We were worried because she couldn't get pregnant. The doctors told us there was nothing wrong. But we had been trying for over a year. She miscarried twice and it hurt her so badly. When she found out she was pregnant again, we were hopeful. She made it through the first trimester, and the doctor said her chances for miscarrying were small again. But when she was at six months, she went into labor. There was no way the baby would make it. Rukia was put on medication to stop the labor, and she had to stay in the hospital for a month. She was sent home on bed rest and went into labor again this morning. When I brought her here, the doctor said there was no way to stop it, and we would have to chance the baby being born early. They're sending him up to the NICU after a quick check, so he'll be gone from here soon," Ichigo explained.

Byakuya still didn't speak.

"I asked her to marry me fourteen months ago, and she said yes. But we got distracted when she got pregnant eight months ago. We're planning on having the wedding in three months. When Kaien is out of the NICU and healthy. Byakuya, Rukia would want you there. Please put aside your feelings about me and come. This isn't something you can take back," Ichigo said, turning around to face Byakuya. "It would mean a lot to all of us if you were there."

"I'll come," Byakuya said after a second. Then, he asked, "What is the NICU?"

"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A special unit that cares for premature babies. It's not a nice place. Only part of the babies in there actually come out."

Neither spoke for a second. Then, turning to leave, Byakuya said slowly, "I hope Kaien comes out healthy. For Rukia's sake . . . and for yours."

As he walked off, Ichigo felt as though he had just passed some test or another. Smiling, he turned to watch Kaien again. The nurses were getting him ready to take him up to the NICU.

But he knew he had quite a while before Byakuya would fully except him.

He would accept that.

At least Byakuya hadn't killed him. That was a good thing.

* * *

Rukia sat up in her bed, staring at the tube in her arm. It was the same kind of IV that they had put in her arm when she was in the hospital for a month. But this time it was to give her medications to make her stronger after the baby's birth. Not to save the baby's life. 

Suddenly, Rukia looked up as Ichigo entered the room. He walked over and, smiling, gave her a quick kiss before sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

"How's Kaien?" she asked.

"He's been taken up to the NICU. But the doctor's said he'll be fine. Everyone else went home. Well, everyone except Byakuya. He's off God knows where plotting my demise," Ichigo joked, reaching over and grasping Rukia's hand tightly in his. "Here, look."Ichigo held out his camera phone and set it to playback. He had recorded a clip of Kaien up in the NICU. He was moving around happily, which the doctors said was a good sign. Rukia smiled and laughed as Kaien turned his head, so it looked as though the baby was staring up at her.

"He's beautiful," Rukia said, still staring at the baby. Ichigo just continued to grin. "You know, he looks a lot like you."

"Everyone is saying that," Ichigo said, a note of happiness in his voice. "But he has your eyes. Gosh, I wish he had gotten your hair, too. It's bad enough for me to have had to live with this hair. But now Kaien has to live with it, too."

"He'll be fine with you to protect him," Rukia said. Ichigo stifled a laugh as he rested his head on Rukia's bed, her hand still clasped tightly in his.

One could always hope, couldn't they?

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Well, the next one will be about The Wedding! Haha! Hope you like this, and the next one will be a lot more funny. :D

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Oct 9 — Shoe Shopping

This came to me while shoe shopping for my siblings. Mom was at work, so I had to do it. For baby Dusty, too. He's finally wearing shoes! Yeah! When he was born, there were no shoes that would fit him because he was premature. We're all happy that he can wear them now!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or their characters. Sad, huh? Imagine what I could do . . .

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**Shoe Shopping**

"Ichigo, I need shoes."

Rukia sat on the bed inside her open closet, already dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt and a pink mini-skirt that went nearly to her knees. The shirt was open for an inch and a half down the top, held together by a tie-string, and the skirt had darker pink flower patterns in the bottom left corner. Her hair was held back by a pink hair clip, something she had never done before.

She was smiling and kicking her bare feet back and forth.

"Then get some," Ichigo said, glancing over for a brief second. Then, he said, "Are those clothes my sisters? I don't think I've ever seen the before."

"No, I went shopping with Inoue-San a few days ago. And I need shoes."

"I said go get some." Ichigo turned back to his book, having to look up to read it, for he held it in his hands so he could use his elbows to hold down the pillow he was currently smothering Kon with.

"My other shoes don't fit me anymore. And your sister's are too big."

Ichigo looked at Rukia with his eyes wide.

"God, you have small feet."

This earned him a book in the face, which threw him off balance. This made him lose his grip on his pillow, which let Kon out. The fluffy, orange lion jumped up and down in from of Ichigo, gasping for breath and yelling cuss words that Rukia had never heard before.

"Ichigo, I. Need. Shoes," Rukia said forcefully, not too keen on walking around in the cold, November air without shoes.

"Fine, baka. Later," Ichigo said quickly, trying to wrestle Kon back under the pillow. Kon, who desperately wanted to stay away, was kicking his soft, fluffy feet into Ichigo's face.

"Now!"

Ichigo was startled as Rukia yelled at him. He dropped the pillow and accidentally fell off the bed. He sighed, looking up into Rukia's face, which was currently upside down. And he was getting a good look up her skirt . . .

His face turned pinker than her skirt as he flipped his body to the right angle.

"Fine."

Ten minutes later, Rukia found herself wearing a pair of Yuzu's shoes, which were indeed too big for her. Ichigo was still surprised, and was still rubbing his head where Rukia had pounded him with yet another book when he fell onto the floor laughing at how small her feet were.

They walked into the shoe department of the mall. Ichigo looked around at the shoes and shook his head.

"We have to go to the children's and teen's department."

"What size, exactly, do I wear?" Rukia asked, her eyes going wide as she stared at the large shoes that surrounded them.

"Um . . . Yuzu and Karin wear fives, so I'm thinking fours or four and a half," Ichigo replied, walking with Rukia down the rows of women's shoes, just to make sure there was nothing there they could use. Ichigo really didn't want to walk half across the huge mall just to get to the teens department. Finally, as he was about to give up, he spotted something.

"What about these?" he asked, holding up a pair of shoes. They were size five and a half, but they looked smaller than they were. Rukia frowned.

"I am not going to wear those in a million years," Rukia said, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at the bright yellow shoes. _Very_ bright yellow. And there were flowers on them!

"Can I help you?"

The loud, shrill voice made Ichigo go stiff and drop the pair of shoes. He quickly picked them up again, and turned to the store clerk.

"Yeah. We're looking for shoes for her," Ichigo said, pointing to Rukia, who was just standing there, her face fixed in a pout as she stared at the shoes. Ichigo almost laughed. She looked so cute like that. Her hair was pulled back on the right side with a hair clip, but the left side hung down in her face a little.

The lady clerk smiled. Apparently, from Rukia's small body and pink clothes, she thought Rukia looked younger.

"Is she your daughter?"

Ichigo coughed. Rukia's pout turned into a gape, and the clerk was sure she had guessed wrong.

"I'm sorry. She must be your girlfriend, then." The clerk had made up her mind. "So, what can I do to help?"

"Um . . . I think we've got it," Ichigo replied. The clerk nodded and skipped off. She seemed to be just out of high-school. Ichigo turned to Rukia.

"What's wrong with these shoes?"

"Everything!" Rukia protested, her pout returning, hiding the light blush on her face from the clerks idea that she was Ichigo's girlfriend.

"But they light up!" Ichigo said in attempt to make her opinion waver. It didn't work. The pout just turned into a glare.

"Fine," Ichigo growled, putting the pair of shoes back in place. So, they headed over to the children's and teens shoe section. When they got there, Ichigo dropped down on a chair that was used for people trying on shoes and sighed. "Find something you like so we can go."

"Uh . . . how?" Rukia asked, her eyes wide at the rows and rows of shoes she was looking at. Ichigo had led her to the teen section because everything in the kids section, though the right size, had silly designs on them. So, now, he was sitting in front of a billion pairs of girls shoes.

Ichigo sighed again and got up, motioning for Rukia to sit down. She did.

"Take off your shoes so you can try some different ones on," Ichigo said, scanning the shelves for some shoes that Rukia would like. He found a pair of pink sneakers that matched her skirt and handed them to her. Then, he remembered that the only shoes Rukia had ever worn were the ones for school, and sandals. Even in the Soul Society, it was always sandals.

"Let me help."

Ichigo sat down on the ground below Rukia and set to unlacing the shoes. He then took one of her feet and tried the shoe on, tying the laces once again. He repeated the action on the second foot.

"Now, stand up and walk around. Do they feel right?"

"What are they supposed to feel like?" Rukia asked, walking around the aisle, looking down at her feet.

"Baka," Ichigo mumbled, though too low for Rukia to hear. "Are they tight? Loose?" Ichigo asked, slightly annoyed, but slightly amused at the scene of Rukia walking in circles, her eyes glued on her feet.

"Hmmm . . . ."

Ichigo watched her for a second more, jumping up and gently taking her by the shoulders to stop her before she hit into the shelves. She was slightly off balance for a second. Then said,

"They're too loose, I think."

"OK, smaller pair," Ichigo said, wincing and hoping she didn't take that as an insult. Though he doubted she could find a heavy pair of shoes that would match up to the book she had hit him with earlier. Remembering, he rubbed the small lump that still remained.

"Does that still hurt?" Rukia asked.

"Huh?" Ichigo looked up, and, seeing the concern in Rukia's eyes, quickly replied, "Uh, no."

"Well, you deserved it."

Ichigo snorted and pulled a pair of white sneakers off the shelf.

"No white."

"Why not?" Ichigo asked, still holding the shoes in his hands.

"I've seen your white shoes," Rukia replied simply. "They're brown now."

"It's called mud. And a washer can clean that out."

Rukia didn't budge.

"Fine," Ichigo growled, looking around. "Do you see anything you like?"

Rukia's eyes scanned the shelves as she rocked back and forth on her feet. Most of the shoes were sandals, which wouldn't work in winter.

"Your looking for tennis shoes," Ichigo said, leading her over to where he was standing. In front of him, the shoes ranged from plain white to having colors striped all around them. Some had skates built into the bottom, and some had air pumpers for more comfort. Some were small, and some were big. He never did understand why people had such big selections. He preferred plain white or black. Or anything that fit.

"I like these," Rukia finally said. She pulled out a pair of sneakers that were mostly a special material of gray that seemed as though it had been wrinkled on purpose. There were blue pink strips on the top and bottom, going in a wavy motion down to the toe. The laces were a darker pink, with gray stripes in the middle, going from top to bottom. Ichigo looked at the size.

"These are size seven, idiot," Ichigo said, smirking. "You need four."

"Shut up," Rukia growled, going in search of a smaller pair. She _really_ liked those shoes. Suddenly, another clerk walked up to them.

"Can I help you find anything?"

Rukia brightened.

"Yes, please. I'm looking for a size . . ." She cut herself off and looked up at Ichigo.

"Four."

"Four in these shoes." Rukia held up the shoes. The clerk looked at the shoes and scanned the shelves.

"We don't have any here. But would you like me to look in the back?"

Before Ichigo could politely refuse and say they would find something else, Rukia had nodded happily. The clerk walked away, saying she would be back in a minute. Rukia dropped into the chair and Ichigo down on the ground opposite of her.

Suddenly, as he accidentally got another good look up her skirt, he really wished she would take to wearing pants. Blushing madly, he turned away and looked up toward the lights in the ceiling.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked back down as Rukia said his name.

"Huh?"

"Thanks for taking me to get shoes."

Ichigo was surprised she was thanking him for anything. She usually didn't do that.

"You're welcome. Of course I would, baka. Who else would endure hours of looking at pink shoes with you?" He meant it as a joke, but Rukia took it wrong.

She looked away, not meeting his eyes. Ichigo sighed and stood up, walking over and sitting beside her; it was getting insanely hard not to peek a glance under her skirt.

"Rukia, I didn't mean it that way," he said, looking up. He saw that she was blurry eyed. Must be PMS, he thought, but didn't dare say it aloud. He would be in trouble then, oh, boy would he be in for it.

"Then how did you mean it?" Rukia asked quietly.

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted.

Lately, she had been trying to get into less arguments with Ichigo. It was just a normal reaction when she was with him, but she didn't like to argue. Sometimes she wished that they got along better. She had rarely ever gotten along with someone like that, and it hurt her not to be able to carry on a conversation without name calling and yelling. Deciding to voice this allowed, she turned and met Ichigo's eyes. "How come we argue so much?"

"I don't know, honest. I've never met someone quite like you, who could always get onto my nerves like that. It seems that you know just which strings to pull."

Rukia had been in the living world long enough to pick up what he meant, even if she didn't fully understand it.

"Sorry." Rukia looked down again.

"What are you sorry for, baka?" Ichigo asked. "I . . . Well, I should probably be the one to be sorry. I guess I never really thought of what you felt about the arguments. It's just really how I got along. A normal reaction, I guess." Ichigo shrugged.

Their conversation was cut short as the clerk walked out, holding a small box.

"I found the shoes. Would you like to try them on?"

"Yes, please," Ichigo said, answering for Rukia. He stood up and took the box, handing it to her. The clerk walked away.

Rukia smiled slightly and took one of the shoes out, fitting it onto her foot. She then looked up at Ichigo.

"Um . . . how do I tie it?"

Ichigo bent beside Rukia and showed her how to do the lace. He suddenly became aware of how close he and Rukia were. After he finished tying the shoe, he let Rukia do the second one, sitting down beside her on the chair, which was more like a bench, because it fit two people.

After a minute, Rukia looked up at Ichigo questioningly. He laughed softly, reaching over and taking the lace out.

"No, like this . . . "

Again, he showed her how to tie the shoe. Rukia nodded and undid it, trying on her own again. As soon as she let go of the laces, the bow fell apart. Ichigo smiled at Rukia's frustration and stood up, walking behind her to get a better angle. Once he positioned himself, he took her hands in his own, guiding her hands to tie the laces. Rukia gasped as his warm, large hands covered her own, and had to fight a blush that rose to her cheeks. Soon, she had tied the shoe.

Rukia smiled brightly.

"I did it!"

Ichigo smiled along.

"Now, stand up and walk around. Do they feel alright?"

Rukia did as she was instructed. She nodded her head, saying they felt fine.

Ichigo helped her take them off and put the sandals back on her feet. They put the shoes back in the box and began walking out of the store. Ichigo trailed behind Rukia as she happily skipped along. He found himself grinning as he watched her. She looked a lot more happy than she had ten minutes ago, and he found that it made him happy, too.

Stopping in her tracks, Rukia looked back toward Ichigo.

"Come on, hurry up!"

Ichigo's smile grew as he quickened his pace to catch up with her. When he did, she took his hand and swung it back and forth in her own.

Ichigo was sure he was blushing from the contact. Who knew that shoe shopping could make one so happy?

* * *

Well, I had a lot of fun writing that. Of course, nothing like this happened while shoe shopping for my siblings, but I had quite an adventure shopping for a baby, a three and four-year-old and teenagers. It was madness! We must have walked around for five hours! 

But I had fun, and I thought, what if Ichigo and Rukia went shoe shopping?

I'm thinking about Bleach a lot now, because I have to write a story a day. Prompts just keep jumping out of nowhere and biting me in the butt. I'll shut up now!

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Oct 10 — Strawberries

This will be more of a drabble than a one-shot. Though a little longer than a drabble. Anyway, I came up with the idea for it while looking at baby bunnies with Caitlyn.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own the Bleach characters.

* * *

"I want one!"

"No!"

Rukia stuck out her bottom lip and pouted at Ichigo. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared right back at her.

"Please?"

"No."

"Ichigo, _please_?" Rukia whined, putting on her best goody-goody two shoes act. Ichigo scowled. No good. She decided to reason with him. "I would take care of it really well!"

"Like the baby mouse you decided to keep as a pet?"

It had died.

"Come on, I promise I'll take really, _really_ good care of it, Ichigo."

"Can I have bathroom privlidges?"

"For how long?" Rukia pouted.

"Two weeks."

Rukia seemed to think this over for a while; she finally smiled and nodded, hopping happily into the pet shop and walking over to the glass case full of baby bunnies. Ichigo stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed her inside. He would have quite a time explaining to his family why he suddenly decided to get a pet bunny, but at least he would have time for a shower before school.

Rukia looked over each and every one of the bunnies, smiling at some of them, and holding them. She finally decided on a light, fluffy brown one. Ichigo smiled at the bunny as it sniffed his arm. He had to admit, she picked pretty well.

After paying for the bunny, cage and food, they walked out of the shop, Rukia still smiling at the bunny.

"What should I call you?"

Ichigo listened as she rattled on and on about possible names. He was sure she was going to name it Chappy when she suddenly snapped her fingers.

"I know! I'll call you Strawberry."

Ichigo nearly fell over his own feet.

Rukia went on reasoning with the bunny, "I want to name you after Ichigo, but that name's already taken so how about Strawberry?"

This time, Ichigo did trip over his own feet.

* * *

Useless, huh? Well, I had fun writing it!

**Please review!**


	9. Oct 11 — Under Doggies

This came to me while I watched some kids playing in the park on my way home from school.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the bleach characters.

**P.S.** The reason I keep making Byakuya and Hisana Rukia's parents (Adoptive) is because we never knew who her parents were. Sorry about that!

* * *

**Under doggies**

Six-year-old Ichigo sat on the swing, slowly rocking back and forth as he watched the little dog run across the park. He smiled as the doggie came running over. It began licking his bare feet, and the giggling finally made Ichigo fall out of the swing. Still giggling, he opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, his vision of the sky was covered by the face of a little girl. She looked about his age and had shiny black hair. Her eyes looked violet, but they could have just been light blue. Suddenly, she spoke.

"You're weird."

Ichigo sat up, still smiling like an idiot and shrugged, jumping back onto his swing. The girl climbed onto one next to him and ignored him for the rest of ten minutes. Ichigo began pumping his legs back and forth to get himself further into the air.

He could still see the dogie if he looked hard enough.

Soon, he was flying so high the chains of his swing evened out with the top bar of the swing set. If his mom saw him swinging so high, he would be in trouble. Better slow down.

Glancing back at the little girl, he noticed that she was clumsily trying to get into the air; she wasn't getting very far, though.

"Why can't you swing?" Ichigo asked, slowing his pace a little. The girl just glared at him and continued trying. Ichigo shrugged and went back to swinging himself. He watched the girl for five minutes before he finally jumped off of his own swing and stood in front of her. She looked up at him.

"I can push you," Ichigo said, smiling as the wind blew his bright orange hair all over. His mom was going to have a field day trying to brush it down.

"No, I can do it on my own."

Ichigo sat down on the ground in front of her and stayed there for ten minutes while she tried, and again, failed to get herself up in the air. He finally sighed and stood up, walking behind her.

"I can do it myself!" she protested as Ichigo took hold of the chains. Her arguing was getting weaker, however, and as soon as Ichigo started pushing her, she gave up completely. Instead, she smiled and hung onto the chains tighter. Ichigo laughed as he pushed her.

"Can you push higher?" the girl asked, smiling as she glanced back at Ichigo.

"Yeah!"

Soon, she was flying through the air. Ichigo finally stopped pushing and instead went out and stood in front of her, backing off as she flew near him. She giggled as he did this, actually trying to hit him with her feet as she came close every time. But every time, he avoided her.

"Want me to give you an under doggie?" Ichigo asked, taking his position behind the swing again. The girl nodded, saying she didn't have any idea what an under doggie was, though.

Pushing her until she was high in the air, Ichigo grabbed the bottom of the swing and rolled under her. She laughed as he did this. He got to his feet, making a funny pose in front of her. Perhaps he didn't see the swing coming, or he didn't realize he was close enough, or maybe he was just stupid, but the little girl's foot caught him right in the mouth as she flew into him. The hit took the swing off balance, making the little girl fall to the ground, too.

The girl started crying. Ichigo held his shirt to his bloody lip. He could tell he was going to have a huge bump on his cheek the next day.

"Why're you crying?" he asked, moving closer tot he girl. She was sitting on the ground, having fell straight off of the swing.

Before she could answer, an older man, who Ichigo was sure was the little girl's father, walked over. He bent down by her.

"Are you OK, Rukia?"

So, her name was Rukia. Ichigo stood to his feet and began whacking wood chippings off of his butt. As soon as Rukia told the older man she would be OK, he turned to Ichigo.

"Where's your mother? You're hurt pretty badly."

Ichigo shrugged, he was here alone, but noticed that his lip was bleeding really bad; his shirt was covered in it. That was when he realized that not only his lip was bleeding, but his nose also.

"Come over to my wife, she'll fix you right up." The man picked Rukia up and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Ichigo nodded and took the hand he offered, still holding the shirt up to his lip, and now his nose. They walked a short ways over to a small blanket set out in the shade, where a young woman was sitting. She looked a whole lot like Rukia. The man set Rukia down on the woman's lap and then turned to Ichigo, kneeling down in front of his and gently pulling the shirt from his hands to get a better look at his bloody lip and nose.

"Hisana, do we have anything to help?" he asked, turning to his wife. Hisana nodded and pulled open a small cooler, pulling out some ice cubes and wrapping them in a washrag. She handed it to Ichigo, and gently showed him how to hold it to his nose. She then proceeded to wipe off all the access blood on his face.

Soon, his lip stopped bleeding and his nose slowed.

"There, all better?"

Ichigo nodded, sitting down on the blanket.

"What's your name?" she asked, smiling. She reminded Ichigo of his own mother. They both had beautiful smiles.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo answered happily, pulling he washrag away from his nose to see that it had stopped bleeding.

"Where are your mother and father?" the man asked, sitting down beside Ichigo.

Ichigo shrugged.

"I'm here alone. Daddy's at work. My schools right over there, so I come wait here every day for my mommy. But she's late 'cause she didn't know today was a half-day," Ichigo said, pointing to a small elementary school across the street.

"Well, Ichigo, would you like to have lunch with us?" Hisana asked, smiling and patting Rukia's head. Rukia climbed off of her lap, dropping down beside Ichigo.

"Yeah!"

"Byakuya, would you grab the basket?"

It was then that Ichigo realized the woman was big around the middle. She was like his mommy!

"Are you gonna have a baby?" Ichigo asked, pointing to her stomach. She nodded. Ichigo's smile grew.

"Yes, we are, in just a few months," Byakuya replied. "And Rukia will have a brother, we think."

Rukia leaned over and whispered in Ichigo's ear, "Actually, I'm Mommy's sister, but she's like my mommy, so I call her that."

Ichigo nodded. Soon, everyone was eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Ichigo and Rukia were drawing on a paper pad with some crayons that Hisana had given them. Ichigo was trying to draw the doggie he had seen earlier, but right now it looked more like a cat. He couldn't tell what Rukia was drawing. He decided to ask.

"What's that?" He pointed to the figure on the paper.

"A bunny!" Rukia said happily. "He's my pet bunny, Fluffy!"

"He looks like a truck," Ichigo observed. Rukia frowned.

Soon, they had gotten into an insult fight. Byakuya and Hisana watched with amusement until Ichigo accidentally put the knee of his blue jean pants into his sandwich. The argument stopped immediately and they both fell into fits of giggles. Soon, they ran off to play again. Ichigo still sporting blood on his blue T-shirt, and sandwich on his jeans. Rukia's tank-top and shorts were perfectly clean.

"Hey, Rukia, let's go play in the sandbox!" Ichigo suggested. She giggled and followed.

Soon, Ichigo's mother arrived, saying she was sorry for being late, and thanking the Kuchiki's for watching Ichigo. She then had a fit over Ichigo when she saw all of the blood on his shirt.

As he walked out of the park, hand in hand with his mother, he called back to Rukia, "Next time, give me an under doggie!"

* * *

Well, that was another little kid fic. I had fun writing it. :D 

**PLEASE REVIEW**!


	10. Oct 12 — Pillow Fights

Pillow fights! Yah! Anyway, I just came up for this while putting pillows into their cases this morning.

**Diclaimer:** I do not own Ichigo, Rukia, Kon or Yuzu! Or the Bleach plot line!

* * *

**Pillow Fight**

"Ichigo, what's a pillow fight?" Rukia asked, perching on the edge of her open closet bed. She played with the frayed edge of her blue jean skirt as she watched him ignore her, shivering slightly in her spaghetti strap tank top. Ichigo just sighed from his position on his bed and picked up a pillow absentmindedly, throwing it at Rukia. It hit her square in the face. Ichigo smirked. Rukia picked herself up and glared daggers at Ichigo. "What was that for! All I did was ask a simple question!" Rukia yelled, pulling the pillow from her face.

Ichigo rolled part-way around, so now he was looking at her, but his head was upside down. He looked slightly amused.

"That's a pillow fight, baka. Two or more people hit each other with pillows until one either gives up, and sometimes not even then, or the pillows are totally wasted," Ichigo explained, going back to his book and ignoring Rukia again.

A smile began slowly spreading across Rukia's face. Climbing back into her closet, she placed Ichigo's rather soft pillow down and picked up one of her more hard ones. Climbing back out, she tossed it at Ichigo. It connected with his head and threw him off balance, making him drop his book. When he turned around, he saw Rukia smiling slyly.

"You do realize . . . this means war!" Ichigo yelled, picking up the pillow Rukia had thrown at him and running toward Rukia. She grabbed her other pillow, rolling out of the way just in time, leaving Ichigo to slap Kon, who had just hopped onto Rukia's bed.

While Ichigo stood there with his mouth open, looking around the room for Rukia, she sneaked up behind him and whapped him across the head. Ichigo turned around and planted his pillow on top of Rukia's head.

"Ah, ha! That was the reason I couldn't see you! You're too short!"

Rukia growled, grabbing her pillow in both hands and hitting Ichigo in the butt. He yelped and dropped his pillow, grabbing his butt as he was propelled forward several inches. Rukia started laughing and hit him again before he could scramble to grab his pillow.

Ichigo starting laughing with her as their pillows made contact in mid-air. As he heard the loud sound they made when they connected, he threw the pillow across the room and grabbed one of his softer pillows. He could take a hard pillow to the butt, but it might very well knock Rukia off of her feet.

Soon, they were blocking more that they hit. Rukia decided to fix this. She grabbed Ichigo's third and last pillow and, now wielding two pillows, charged after Ichigo, silently wishing she weren't wearing a skirt. Oh, well. At least she could still move some; the skirt only went down to her knees, and the right side was slit until half-way up.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Ichigo yelled, rolling under her pillows and standing to his feet behind her, whapping her while she wasn't looking.

"Is not!

"Is so!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Shut-up and get yourself another pillow then!" Rukia said, using both pillows; one to block and one to hit Ichigo with. He was now taking most of the beating while only getting on hit on Rukia for every ten she was getting on him.

"You stole my last pillow!" Ichigo called, trying to block. But it was impossible; she had two, he had one. It wasn't going to work.

"So? What are you going to do about it?" Rukia laughed and stuck her tongue out at him as she dodged his pillow again. He growled.

"Take yours!"

"How do you plan on doing that?"

Rukia was giggling again. Ichigo smirked, throwing his pillow aside and beginning to tickle Rukia. Surprised, and not quite sure what he was doing, Rukia dropped her pillows. Instead of picking them up, Ichigo, who was having far too much fun, smiled as Rukia began laughing non-stop from the tickling.

"S-s-s-stop!" Rukia stuttered, pressing herself back against Ichigo, who was standing behind her.

"Nope! Not until you say you cheated!" Ichigo said, smiling widely. He hadn't had this much fun for quite a while.

Rukia finally fell to her knees, out of breath. Ichigo dropped down beside her.

"You tired?" he asked.

"Yes," Rukia answered, her laughing finally stopping. Ichigo smirked.

"Good. Now, say the magic words."

There was no way she would say she cheated. Not a chance in hell. She shook her head.

"Fine then."

And the tickling began again. Rukia shrieked with laughter, and Ichigo didn't stop tickling her until he felt that she couldn't breathe.

When her senses finally returned to her, Rukia realized that she was laying on the ground, and Ichigo was propped on top of her. He was still smirking.

"Say it."

"No!" Rukia said, a smile playing on her own lips.

"Say it."

"What will you do if I don't?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo didn't know what took over him. He only knew that, one second, he was staring down at Rukia's pale, flushed face, and the next he was kissing her. Her eyes widened in surprise, but soon, she found her eyes fluttering closed as she responded. His lips were a lot softer than she had imagined. Rukia let out a moan of protest as Ichigo pulled back. He took that as a good sign.

"Will you say it yet?" he asked, his voice husky.

"Only if you'll do that again," Rukia whispered.

Ichigo found himself complying faster than he'd meant to. Her warm lips caressed his own as he kissed her. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself deepening the kiss. Rukia moaned again as she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his bright orange hair. Finally, he pulled back again, taking a deep breath.

"Will you say it now?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Rukia asked, her brain a little scrambled from kissing Ichigo.

Ichigo began tickling her again, and Rukia broke out in laughter. They were still in that position, Ichigo on top of Rukia, when Yuzu opened the door.

"Ichigo, it's time for dinner!" she called. Then she saw them on the floor. Pretending she never walked in, Yuzu backed out of the room.

And Ichigo and Rukia are still laughing happily.

* * *

Well, what do you think? I think my favorite part was where Rukia whapped Ichigo in the Butt. That happened to me once, only I fell face first into the ground. :D

**Please Review!**


	11. Oct 13 — Babysitting

Well, this is useless. But I babysit a lot. I guess that's where this came from.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rukia or Ichigo.

* * *

**Babysitting**

This sucked. Nope. This sucked more than sucked. Waaay more. Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the baby in the crib. So, he was stuck babysitting. Yup. But thank heavens the baby was being good so far. He hadn't cried, and from what Ichigo could tell, his diaper was clean.

But it still sucked.

Suddenly, the little baby started crying, and Ichigo was surprised. Who knew that a baby could scream so loud? Did God give all babies super lungs? Huh. Well, what was he supposed to do?

Ichigo placed his chin in his hand, resting his elbow on the table as he stared at the baby, which was dressed in blue overalls and a white undershirt. He was laying in a car carrier. What was he supposed to do? What had he done when Yuzu and Karin were babies? He should probably pick it up, but last time he tried that, it screamed louder.

Ichigo was pulled from his thoughts as a pretty, raven-haired Shinigami walked into the room. She glared at Ichigo.

"You're supposed to pick him up," she said, walking over and unclasping the baby from the carrier. As soon as she lifted him into her arms, she stopped crying. He rested his head on her shoulder, sticking his fingers in his mouth and blinking tears out of his bright blue eyes.

Ichigo looked amazed.

"How did you do that? When I picked him up, he just screamed louder."

"That's because you were holding him wrong, baka. You hold a baby this young like this."

And she proceeded to show him how to hold the baby and support its head. Ichigo took a minute, but he was finally holding the child in his arms. He smiled when the baby didn't scream.

"Huh. It actually worked."

Rukia rolled her eyes, walking over to the diaper bag that had been left behind with the kid and looked around inside for a minute, finally holding up a small bottle. She seemed confused as to what it was, but the baby's eyes lit up as he saw it.

"What's this?" Rukia asked. Ichigo sighed; he had forgotten how little she knew about the real world. He explained,

"It's a bottle. Babies suck on them."

"Why? In Soul Society, mothers breast feed their babies."

Ichigo blushed, not wanting to think about that. He continued to explain, wishing she didn't ask so many darn questions.

"It's for when the babies grow teeth and it becomes . . . uncomfortable . . . for mothers to, um, breast feed." Ichigo finished with a blush again.

"Oh. Well, maybe Sasuke's hungry. Perhaps we should feed it to him. It's got food in it," Rukia suggested, handing it to Ichigo. He shook his head.

"It has to be heated up first. That's one thing I remember about the twins being babies. The milk has to be warm. I don't understand why, but is does."

Ichigo walked over to the microwave, Baby Sasuke still in his arms, and opened it, putting the bottle inside. Rukia wandered over; she liked to watch the plate in the microwave rotate.

"How long should I put it in for?" Ichigo asked, his fingers tapping on the number pad. Rukia shrugged.

"I dunno? Five minutes?"

Ichigo shrugged and put it on. They then waited, Rukia taking the moody baby back from Ichigo, for five, screaming filled minuted. Sasuke had decided that he wanted the bottle now.

"I can't take it anymore! Four minutes will have to be good enough!"

Ichigo walked over to the microwave and took out the bottle, immediately screaming in pain as the boiled liquid inside burned his hand. Rukia walked over, bouncing Sasuke in her arms in attempt to calm him. Not working.

"What's wrong?"

"It's hot!" Ichigo yelled, glaring at the bottle. "We can't give that to him!"

Rukia sighed. She picked the bottle up with a cup towel and, still using the cloth, pressed on the nipple of the bottle, letting some of the warm liquid leak out onto Ichigo's wrist. He yelped, jumping back several feet. This only made Sasuke scream louder.

"What the hell was that for?" Ichigo yelled, holding his now burnt wrist. Rukia shrugged.

"I just wanted to see if it really was too hot. Guess so, huh?"

Ichigo snorted and, sitting the bottle in a tub of cold water to cool it down, walked back over to the table. But, on his way, he tripped over the baby's car seat. He went flying forward, and sprawled onto the ground, his face pressing hard into the floor. Sasuke started laughing. Rukia was amused, and Ichigo was in pain.

Ten minutes, two band aids and a now-happy-with-his-bottle-baby later, Ichigo was sitting on a living room chair, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Rukia feed the five-month-old baby. Sasuke was grinning now, his tiny hands flexing around the bottle. He was trying to hold it up himself, but Rukia had to hold it for him. His brown hair was wild, and he had been changed into a white T-shirt when his long sleeved one had proved too hot for the baby.

Then, the impossible task came.

"Uh, Ichigo?"

Ichigo turned his head to where Rukia was now burping Sasuke.

"What?"

"I think he needs changed."

The five words that Ichigo had not planned on hearing.

He was going to kill Yuzu for this. This was supposed to be her babysitting job, as she had been watching Sasuke every Tuesday for three months, but she had to go on an emergency run with his father, and had been gone all day helping out at another clinic which had received the emergency.

"Um. . .how do we do that?" Rukia asked, holding the wet baby up for Ichigo to see. The seat of his blue overalls were soaked. Ichigo sighed, walking over and taking Sasuke from Rukia. He held the wet baby under the arms, making sure Sasuke made no contact with his own body.

Placing the baby on the table, Ichigo stripped the baby of all clothing and, taking a deep breath, took the baby's diaper off. And wished he hadn't.

"Oh, God, Sasuke . . ."

Rukia walked in and held up a clean diaper, inspecting it.

"What's this?"

"A diaper. Give it to me."

After cleaning Sasuke up, Ichigo fastened the new diaper on and searched the bag for clean clothed. Sure enough, he soon found a pair of jean overalls and an orange shirt. Quickly dressing Sasuke, he carried him back into the living room.

"Now, let's watch something on TV and be a good little baby, OK?"

Sasuke just looked up at Ichigo with huge, blue, unblinking eyes. Ichigo sighed and sat down on the couch, handing Rukia Sasuke when she sat beside him.

He was getting tired. Perhaps it was nap time . . .

**Two Hours Later**

Yuzu walked inside, looking around. When she saw the empty bottle on the table, and a babies diaper bag, she gasped. Oh, man! She had forgotten all about Sasuke! But if his stuff was here, he had to be around somewhere . . .

She walked all throughout the house, the sound of the TV finally bringing her into the living room. She smiled, quietly walking out.

On the couch, Ichigo slept with his legs up to his chest and his head resting on the couch cloth. Rukia was laying next to him, her head resting in his lap, and on her lat lay a sleeping Sasuke. Perhaps taking care of a baby if you didn't know how was more tiring than she thought . . . It sure looked that way for Rukia and Ichigo.

* * *

There it is. :D

**Please Review!**


	12. Oct 14 — Phone Talk

This is just a short one-shot (Probably about 700 words!). I got the idea, and decided to write it down. Sorry to all those who were expecting longer!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the bleach Characters.

* * *

**Phone Talk**

Ichigo walked into the living room and dropped down on the couch. He had begun watching his favorite TV show when he heard Rukia talking on the phone. Probably to Inoue.

"Yeah, in bed."

Ichigo's attention was instantly captured.

"When he gets up in the morning, he pretends that it didn't happen, but we both know it did."

Huh? Who?

"No, he's good about it when he's in my bed, though."

Ichigo coughed. When had anyone ever slept in Rukia's bed? Well, besides the time she locked _him_ up in there because he had told her she was imagining things when she had said it was uncomfortable. Which she wasn't. It was a nightmare in there! But she was short . . . she could take it.

"I like it, though."

. . . Ichigo was more than curious now . . .

"It feels good -"

Ichigo was just taking a drink of soda, and it all ended up on the floor when he spit it out in surprise.

" - knowing I'm not the only one who does it."

Rukia looked into the living room as Ichigo choked on his soda. She covered the speaker of the phone with her hand, looking concerned.

"You OK, Ichigo?"

Ichigo nodded, finally gulping in a breath of air. Rukia shrugged and turned back to her conversation.

What the _hell_ was she talking about?

"No, everything is all right, Ichigo just choked on something."

Another pause. Ichigo looked over to Rukia, who was sitting on a stool in front of the phone. The phone was hugged between her shoulder and her chin, so her hands were free. She was gripping the stool between her legs and was rocking back and forth.

Ichigo shook his head to rid himself of the images that had just attacked his mind.

"Nope."

Rukia said a few more words that didn't mean anything to him; probably answering questions to the person on the other end.

"Yeah, when I asked what that was, he turned a brilliant shade of red and told me to go look it up in the Dic-nary."

Ichigo had a great idea of what she was talking about; last week, she had asked what a condom was. And he hadn't turned _that_ red.

"And no, I never got around to looking it up. Back on topic, Orihime. Here, let me ask . . . "

Ichigo's eyes widened. He jumped off the couch just as Rukia's hand went over the speaker. She was just about to yell really loudly when Ichigo ran over and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"My dad's sleeping, and there is no way your waking him up by asking about something like _that_," Ichigo hissed. Rukia bent her head back so that she was looking right up at him. She grinned.

Ichigo thought it was cute.

He slowly took his hand away after hissing at her to be quiet.

She smirked, her head still upside down so she could see him.

"Ichigo, why do you snore in your bed, but not the closet one?"

Ichigo's mouth fell open.

_THAT_ was what they were talking about?

_Snoring!_

* * *

Came to me when I was listening to my sis on the phone, and it sounded _wrong_.

Anyway, as you could or could not tell, this is set after the Soul Society Arc, but since Rukia still sleeps in the closet, I made it Ichigo's family doesn't know about her yet.

**Please Review!**


	13. Oct 15 — Twenty Questions — Pt: I

Well, this insanity came to me when my little brother asked why he couldn't be a woman. I thought it would be cute if I thought up different things little Ichigo would say. Most of these come from my siblings!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or its characters!

**

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Twenty Questions Part 1  
(Pt: 1 - That Little Ichigo would ask)

"Mommy? Why is that lady so fat? And why is she petting her stomach like it's a puppy?"

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"Can I marry you when I grow up big, mommy?"

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"Daddy, if I have a _left_ foot and a _right_ foot, if I do something with my _left_ foot instead of my _right_, does that make it right or wrong?

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"Mommy, why does that woman's baby look like a hairless mouse?"

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"Can I be a woman when I grow up?

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"Mommy, since your fat when your going to have a baby, when I grow up and have a baby, will I be fat, too?"

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"Why is 1 + 1 two? Why isn't it 11?

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"Daddy? Why are your underwear pink? Did you grab mommy's on accident?"

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"How come Yuzu and Karin don't have penis's?"

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"Do babies come from eggs like chickens?"

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"Mommy, is Daddy santa? Because he was trying to climb through the chimmney yesterday."

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"Mommy, is that woman going to have a baby? She's _REALLY _fat!"

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"Why can't I wear a pretty pink dress like Yuzu?"

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"If I kidnap the toothfairy, do you think she would marry me? 'Cause she's rich!"

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"Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a super model?"

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"Can I be like daddy and not change my underwear for a week?"

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"Do I tie my sock like I tie my shoe?"

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"Mommy, why do Yuzu and Karin get to poop in their diapers? Can I poop in my pants?"

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"If I suck on the eletric cord, will it hurt me?"

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"Mommy? Will Yuzu melt if I put salt on her like I did on the slug? If she does, can I have her cookie?"

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**THE END**

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Well, there you have it. My little brother asked these two just in the last few days: "If I suck on an eletric cord, will it hurt me?" and ""Mommy, is that woman going to have a baby! She's _REALLY _fat!" 

LOL.

**I will be updating the Daddy series TOMORROW!**

**Please Review!**


	14. Oct 16 — Daddy Pt: III — The Wedding

Sorry about being vague about the wedding, but I don't know much about weddings, as I have never been to one before. So, I skipped the whole "I do" part.

The song is _**An Everlasting Love**_ by Andy Gibb. **I DO NOT OWN IT!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.

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**Daddy Pt: III — The Wedding**

**3:45 PM  
**  
"God, I'm nervous," Ichigo said, pulling at the edge of his collar. He was sweating, and the screaming Kaien was doing nothing for his nerves. His friends, who were there helping him get ready, just laughed. Renji walked over and clapped him on the back.

"It can't be that bad. Man, you've fought Hollows bigger then Gogzilla."

"It's _God_zilla, and you have been watching too much TV," Ichigo corrected, dropping down into the cloest chair.

Byakuya, who was there by a threat from his sister and was currently holding the crying Kaien, raised his eyebrow and moved over to Ichigo, holding out the baby. Ichigo looked up and took him, who immediately quieted down once he was in Ichigo's arms.

"Well, I've fought about a million Hollows, but I've never been married before."

"Think back to the first Hollow you fought," Renji suggested, smirking as Kaien grabbed Ichigo's tie and began sucking on it.

"Well, let's see. First, I broke that binding spell Rukia put on me, then I ran out in the middle of the street, yelled at the Hollow, and Rukia nearly died keeping me alive," Ichigo said, ticking off the different events on his fingers. Renji shrugged and gave up on that theory.

"But still, you have ten minutes until it's time, and you have to change your tie; baby slobber."

Ichigo looked down in surprise and groaned, gently taking the tie out of Kaien's grasp. The three-month-old baby just began babbling nonsense, then started crying. Again. Ichigo quickly checked his diaper to find it clean. Then, looking up at Byakuya, he asked,

"Could you bring him to Rukia? I think he's hungry."

Byakuya took the baby without a word and left the room.

Hitsugaya, who was sitting in the corner, didn't speak a word.

**3:45 PM**

Rukia was pacing around the room, the crying from Kaien three rooms over making it impossible for her to relax. There were four other girls in the room: Yuzu and Karin, who were going to be bride's maids; and Inoue and Hinamori, who were helping her get ready.

"I don't know if I can do this," Rukia said, jumping up from the seat she had just taken when Kaien started crying again.

"You gave birth to a baby, sure you can get married," Karin remarked, trying to figure out how to put her dress on. Rukia had picked simple cream colored dresses that went down to the floor. They didn't have sleeves, only straps like a jumper. She had done it because she knew that Karin hated anything fluffy.

"Pick up the baby already, Ichigo," Rukia said in frustration, knowing that if Kaien continued crying much longer, her mothering instincts would take over and she go pick him up herself.

As if Ichigo had heard her, Kaien immediately went quiet and Rukia relaxed.

Now that Rukia was relaxed, everyone continued getting ready or helping.

Then, Kaien started crying again.

Rukia groaned and began pacing. Inoue turned to the twins and sighed.

"Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much," Yuzu said. "Sucks that they're moving out of our house soon; I love spending time with Kaien. Rukia and Ichigo are way too attached, though. And when Kaien's grumpy, only Ichigo and Rukia can get him to calm down."

Just then, the door opened. Everyone spun around, and Rukia's face relaxed at the sight of her brother and baby Kaien. She walked over and took the crying baby out of his arms.

"Oh, shh, shh, it's alright," Rukia whispered, trying to get Kaien to stop screaming. She then looked up at Byakuya. "Thank you, Nii-Sama."

He nodded and walked out again.

Rukia, glad that it was only girls in the room, took down the side of her dress and began breast feeding Kaien. He immediately went quiet. He blinked tears out of his big, violet eyes as he did, smiling up at Rukia.

"Does that hurt?" Inoue asked, always the curious one.

"No, but when he grows teeth it will. By that time, maybe he will be old enough to go to bottles. Ichigo said he was late getting his teeth, so maybe Kaien will be, too."

"Come on, we'd better hurry, it's almost time," Yuzu said, jumping out of her seat and finishing off Rukia's make-up.

As soon as Kaien was done eating, Rukia asked Yuzu to bring him back to Ichigo. She nodded happily, gently taking the now sleeping baby from Rukia's arms and walking out of the room, humming happily.

**4:00 PM**

They had agreed on an outside wedding. It was a beautiful April morning; the sun was shining and the wind was blowing gently. There was a large structure at the top, which was round at the floor and ceiling and had flowers winding across the support beams. There were chairs lined up in two rows on the grass; most of them were filled with people from Soul Society and Earth. Family and friends were all there.

Ichigo stood up at the alter, still pulling nervously at his collar. Renji, who was his best man, was sighing as he stood and watched Ichigo. Inoue, Chad, Ishida and Ichigo's dad were sitting in the first pew, smiling at Ichigo's nervousness. Ishida was holding Kaien, because Ichigo didn't trust his dad to do it right.

Then, Rukia walked in, escorted by Byakuya, and Ichigo's mouth went dry. Rukia caught his eye and gave him a reassuring smile, and he calmed down a little.

Then Kaien woke up and began crying, reaching out for Ichigo, who was standing only ten feet away.

Ichigo bit his lip.

Kaien's cries soon became unbearably loud, and just as Ishida was about to take him away so he wouldn't interrupt the wedding, the priest walked over and gently took him, walking up and handing the baby to Ichigo.

Ichigo was surprised, but when he thought about it, it really wouldn't matter, huh?

Rukia finally reached Ichigo, and his nervousness returned. The priest began speaking, but Ichigo didn't hear much of it.

**4:15 PM**

Fifteen minutes later, Rukia became Mrs. Ichigo Kurosaki. Byakuya had given her away to Ichigo, although h had whispered in his ear that if he didn't make her happy, he would be miserable for the rest of his life.

Everyone was milling around happily at the reception. Rukia was holding Kaien in her arms, and Ichigo was standing happily beside the two. Karin was leading a soccer game where the soccer ball was a bunch of crumpled up paper plates held together by tape. But it worked, so no one was complaining.

Then, the music started and Ichigo's dad poked him.

"Go on, you and the lovely bride are supposed to dance."

After handing the baby to Byakuya again, Ichigo led Rukia over to the spot that had been cleared for dancing.

As they started dancing, Ichigo listened to the words of the music.

_I've been here all your life watching your crying game  
You were the heaven in my lonely world  
And he was your sun and your rain  
I was losing you before I ever held you tight  
Before you ever held me in your arms  
And I won't make you blue  
And maybe an everlasting love will do _

Ah, we got an everlasting love  
So tall, so wide, so high above the rumble of thunder down below  
It's your love I need, it's the only show  
And it's you want an everlasting dream  
can take us anywhere are the tears of yesterday  
We killed the pain , we blew away the memories of the tears we cried  
And an everlasting love will never die

Take me out of the cold  
Give me what I've hungered for  
If it's the pleasure of taking my heart that you need  
Then it only makes me love you more  
I was yours before the stars were born and you were mine  
I could have saved you all the pain you knew  
And I won't make you cry  
And maybe an everlasting love can try

Ah, we got an everlasting love  
So tall , so wide, so high above the rumble of thunder down below  
It's your love I need, it's the only show  
And it's you want an everlasting dream  
can take us anywhere are the tears are yesterday  
We killed the pain , we blew away the memories of the tears we cried  
And an everlasting love will never die

They're eyes met and Ichigo smiled softly, pulling Rukia closer to him as they continued to dance slowly to the end of the song. Other couples were flocking to the dance floor, as well. Ishida and Inoue; Hitsugaya and Hinamori, and several other people.

But Rukia and Ichigo didn't notice. All they were focused on was each other . . . each other and the music that was flowing through their souls.

Ichigo looked down at Rukia, smiling softly as he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Rukia."

Rukia smiled and rested her head against his chest.

"I love you, too."

They were silent for a while, neither speaking and neither feeling the need to speak. Finally, Rukia looked up at Ichigo again.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

Rukia bit her lip and smiled. "I'm pregnant again."

Ichigo stopped dancing in the middle of the song. He looked down at Rukia, hope in his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes. The doctor put me on a new medication that has helped ninety-four percent of mothers like me carry to term. I'm three weeks pregnant."

Ichigo's face was glowing with happiness as he picked Rukia up and swung her around in the air. She shrieked happily. Once her feet were planted firmly on the ground again, Ichigo asked,

"Rukia, if it's a girl, can we name her Masaki after my mother?"

Rukia nodded, then said, "I was thinking the same thing. If it's a girl, I want to name her Masaki Hisana."

"And if it's a boy?" Ichigo asked.

"I want to name him after my brother."

Ichigo groaned.

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Well, there you have it. Complete and utter mush. LOL. I might do another about the new baby. Girl or boy . . . hmmm . . . 

**Please Review**


	15. Oct 17 — Twenty Questions — Pt: 2

Well, here's part two! Part one was excepted better than I thought it would be! Hope this one is, too!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters.

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**Twenty Questions Pt: 2  
(Pt: 2 — That Rukia (** _Current Age_**) is likely to ask)**

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"If the Easter Bunny isn't Chappy, then who is he _really_?"

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"If Santa is supposed to be fat, why do people lie to their kids and say he comes down the chimney? I mean, even _Ichigo _doesn't fit up that thing, and I sure worked hard at stuffing him up there!"

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"Why is that TV box talking?"

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"Hey, Ichigo, whatever Caffiene-free coffee is, I'd like to try it. This coffee makes me too hyper, dont'cha think? Huh? Hey, Ichigo!"

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"When I get my clothes out, their warm, and I'm cold . . . so why can't_ I_ get inside the dryer, too?"

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"I got an F- on my test . . . hey! Is ther _even_ such a _thing_ as an F-?"

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"How come Ichigo just passed out? All he did was accidently eat some of Inoue-San's lunch . . ."

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"Ichigo . . . some of the girls were talking about condom's at school today. What is a condom? And how come you just spit your juice everywhere?"

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"Ichigo, how do I work this damned shoe? I like sandals better!"

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"Ichigo, how come your dad is dressed up as a bunny? Can I chase him? . . . _pause _. . . "YES!"

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"What is a Maxi-pad and why does it look like a bird?"

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"Ichigo, are you _really_ that stupid?"

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"What's a spider and why is one sitting on your head? Does it _like_ it there or something?" . . . _pause_ . . . "_ICHIGO_! Get off me and kill the darn spider if you're afraid of it!"

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"Someone said that if I make a certain face for a long time, it will stay like that. Is that why you're always scowling like that, Ichigo?"

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"What's the difference between guys socks and girls socks? I've been wearing Ichigo's for a while now, and he never complained. Although he did try and throw me out the window once . . ."

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"Is there any reason your hair is orange? Or is it just for decoration?"

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"Is the grade "Failing" bad? Because that's what it says in my report card."

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"Ichigo, why are you holding my bra?"

* * *

"Um . . . Ichigo . . . was your white shirt _supposed_ to turn pink in the washer?"

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**THE END**

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Well, there you are! Another dose of insanity! LOL. I don't think I'll to another in this series. Two is enough for me. And I had a lot of trouble thinking up questions that could be funny without having to have answers. 

**Please Review!**


	16. Oct 18 — Says Who?

This is a drabble. :D I stuck to the 100 word count! Almost. I'm 10 words over . . . or something like that. But who cares?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters.

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**Says Who?**

Ichigo sat and glared.

Rukia glared right back.

Neither spoke.

"I won't do it," Ichigo said firmly.

"Says who?" Rukia asked, a slighly evil edge to her voice.

Ten seconds later, Ichigo was on the floor, his arm twisted behind his back as Rukia sat on top of him. They both knew he could have easily won; but this was what always happened.

He never fought her because he didn't want to. He liked their simple routine, and to fight back would break that.

As she smirked, he growled,

"Fine. Give me the stupid juice box and I'll put the straw in, midget."

So he never shatters the simple routine that they follow so they don't have to face reality.

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So, what do you think?

**Please Review!**


	17. Oct 19 — Unspoken

I thought about this, and wrote it. Simple as that. I think what inspired it was a book I saw today called Unspoken. And I got to thinking about how much is unspoken in Bleach.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters.

**

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**Unspoken**

When he finds her, she is sitting outside on the roof, her hair blowing around in the wind and her shoulders are shaking slightly with the freezing cold. Her intense violet eyes are staring off in the distance as she hugs her arms around herself, trying to warm up; he knows it won't work because she is wearing a tank top. He walks up to her and takes off his coat, wrapping it around her shoulders. She flinches in surprise as his warm fingers run softly across her bare skin.

"Why are you out here?" he whispers, afraid that the slightest sound will disrupt the beautiful calm that had fallen upon the city.

"To think," she responds, just as quietly.

Neither of them speak for a few minutes. He begins to feel the loss of his coat as the wind picks up, blowing their hair in all directions.

"Think about what?" he asks finally.

When she turns to look at him, he is looking out toward the city. His arms are crossed across his chest, and he is wearing an intense look that nearly scares her. As she is about to look away, he turns and their eyes meet.

"About going back."

He knows what she's talking about; she talking about leaving this town, their school and their friends. And she's talking about leaving him.

"And?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, she hugs the coat more tightly around her body, glad that it was too big for her. He looks back out at the city, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. It stings at his throat, but it's comforting in a way. It makes him feel alive.

"Do you miss it?" he asks, attempting to get an answer.

He fears she's not going to respond again, but she finally speaks, her eyes cast downward.

"I miss my friends and family. I miss being a part of something."

"You're a part of something here," he argues.

"Not really. Everyday at school, I watch you with your friends. You talk about things that are totally normal, and as we walk home, I have to ask you what it is. I don't belong here in this world, I belong back there."

He doesn't speak. He can't argue that she knows next to nothing about his world, but he doesn't want her to leave; he wants her to stay by his side forever. But he knows that it can never happen. One day, she will have to leave, and he knows it.

"You belong here, too," he says softly, his eyes drifting closed with the gentle sway of the wind. She turns to look at him, and when he looks at her, he is smiling softly. Not the fake smile he puts on so often, but a real smile. She likes seeing him smile.

"Not like back there.

"You can belong here."

"But do I want to?"

He has no answer. Instead, he moves closer to her and zips up the loose coat that is hanging around her shoulders. He doesn't know why he did it; natural, perhaps? A lot of things have come natural to him lately, especially when he's around her. Like protecting her. Whether it's from a Hollow, or from catching a cold, lately, it's come naturally.

"_I _want you to."

She is totally unprepared to hear him say that.

Silence falls between them. She doesn't speak and he doesn't either.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yeah, I do."

It wis the first conversation that they have had in a long time that didn't include name calling and yelling, and she finds that she rather likes it. It's nice to talk to him without screaming and insults.

"I don't know if I can. I want to see everyone I knew before. I want to be back there again, fighting side by side with my friends."

"Then I'll come with you. I'll stay by your side," he whispers.

"But your family . . ."

"I won't leave forever. I'll come back. But this is something I want to do. I don't want to leave you, and I don't want to forget."

She smiles a little, turning her head toward him. She finds that he is still looking at her, his hands now stuffed inside his pockets for warmth. He's standing a lot closer to her than she remembered.

"Will you really follow me if I go?"

"Yes."

She notices that he said it without hesitation.

Her smile growing, she takes advantage of their closeness and lays her head on his chest. He's surprised at first, but he slowly slips his hands out of his pockets and wraps his arms around her, pulling her small frame to him. She seems so fragile clasped gently in his grip, and he knows that he would do anything to protect her.

They stand like that for a while, neither speaking. Her face is buried in his chest, but her nose is still cold. She finally pulls back a little, looking up at him.

"Ichigo, my nose is cold."

He smiles and kisses the edge of her bright pink nose, surprising her.

"Then let's go inside, Rukia."

But they don't. They stand out on the roof for a while more, Rukia wrapped in Ichigo's arms, because they know that the peace and quiet won't last forever; it will shatter, and these little moments will have mattered, if not to anyone else, then to them.

Neither speak it aloud, but he knows it and she does, too. They love each other.

And it's little moments like these that make them realize what is unspoken.

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Well, what do you think? Was it sweet? Sad? Plain terrible? Hmm?

**Please Review!**


	18. Oct 20 — Unheard

This is part two to a three part series. Part one was **Unspoken**. This is Unheard, and the next will be . . . told when it comes out.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the Characters.

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Unheard

He knows that she didn't hear him. And as he stands over her and watches her chest move in and out with each breath she takes, he wishes that she _had_ heard him. But then again, he's glad she didn't, too.

She has fallen asleep on his bed, her pajama clad legs pulled up to her chest and her black hair spread out around her. Her eyes are closed and her hands are sprawled open, fingering the wrinkles that her small body has made on top of the quilt. He smiles as he watches her.

"Sometimes . . ." he stops speaking for a second, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her and leaning against the wall, his eyes wandering out into the night sky filled with stars. He continues, "Sometimes, I wake up in the morning, and you've already left for school . . . I worry that everything was a dream, that none of it was real and that you never existed."

_When the daylight's gone and you're on your own  
And you need a friend just to be around  
I will comfort you, I will take your hand  
And I'll pull you through, I will understand _

Ichigo sighs, and reaches his hand down to lightly grasp one of her own. He smiles as her small, soft hand seems to clench his scarred one as he gently runs his fingers over her knuckles.

"When I first saw you . . . I thought you were an angel. But when you came through my window late the next afternoon and yelled at me and drew on my face . . . I was sure I was mistaken. There was _no way _you could be an angel. But when your brother and Renji came to take you away, I was _scared_. And I was worried. And I wanted nothing more than to save you."

He pauses again, the emotions washing over him like rain. He smiles as he looks out the window again, his hand gripping Rukia's tighter. She smiles in her sleep, drawing her legs up tighter to her chest.

_And you know that _

_I'll be at your side, there's no need to worry  
Together we'll survive through the haste and hurry  
I'll be at your side  
If you feel like you're alone, and you've nowhere to turn  
I'll be at your side _

"You know, I never thought anyone could do that. Be in that position, I mean. Geez, you look like a cat."

Ichigo laughs softly at himself. Yes, Rukia does seem like a cat sometimes.

"When I began training with Urahara so I could save you, I didn't have any idea what I was getting myself into. That guy's a real nutjob, I'm tellin' ya. First, he had a little girl fight me, and nearly kill me, then he stuffed me in a deep, dark hole and told me to climb out. Those three days that I was stuck down there . . . I kept thinking . . . what if something had already happened to you? Where were you? Were you OK?"

"But then, I told myself that I had to do it. I had to do it for you. And when the Hollow inside of me broke lose, it felt as though I was being pushed into a deep, dark room that I could never come out of again. And I knew that if I let it happen, there would be no way that I could still save you."

_If life's standing still and your soul's confused  
And you cannot find what road to choose  
If you make mistakes  
You can't let me down  
I will still believe  
I will turn around _

"So I fought it. I fought it until I was able to break through the clutches of that damned Hollow."

Ichigo frowns as Rukia whimpers in her sleep. Her face is usually calm when she's sleeping; he knows this because he likes to watch her sleep, and he does it often. But now she looks scared. He turns his head and looks out the open window again, dislodging his hand from hers and softly rubbing her back. She quites down and hugs his pillow tighter.

"Ichigo . . . "

He smiles again as he hears her whisper his name in her sleep.

_And you know that _

_I'll be at your side, there's no need to worry  
Together we'll survive through the haste and hurry  
I'll be at your side  
If you feel like you're alone, and you've nowhere to turn  
I'll be at your side _

"And then we got inside Soul Society. I was injured several times, but every time, I kept on moving because I knew that if I didn't help you, no one would. So I fought Renji, I fought Zakari, I fought Ikkaku, I fought a lot of people. I even fought your brother. We talked a lot while we fought. And as he spoke, I could feel anger welling up inside of me. I don't know how he could so easily mention killing his own little sister. Then the Hollow inside me came out. And I fought him, too."

Ichigo stops talking again. He laughs softly as he remembers everything he has done in the past few months.

"And then, when you told me you were staying behind, I felt as though something inside me was breaking. Something was being crushed to bits and trampled on. But I knew that, if that was what you wanted, that I should let you have it. So I said I was happy for you."

"But I couldn't be. I felt so empty inside when I returned and you weren't her with me. I was lonely and I wanted you back."

_I'll be at your side, there's no need to worry  
Together we'll survive through the haste and hurry  
I'll be at your side  
If you feel like you're alone, you've got somewhere to go,  
'Cos I'm right there  
_

"And you came . . ."

Ichigo's voice drifts off as he looks down at Rukia again. She is still sleeping peacefully, her black hair falling down over her eyes. He reaches over and gently brushes the hair out of her eyes, but it falls back again.

"I've always hated the rain. I hate it because it reminds me of all the terrible things that have happened in my life. I hate it because it seems to carry sadness and hate in its beautiful raindrops. I hate it because it seems that every time it rains, pain and sadness come with it."

"But then you came along. You are my ray of sunshine in a dark world."

_I'll be at your side, I'll be right there for you  
(Together we'll survive) through the haste and hurry  
I'll be at your side  
If you feel like you're alone, you've got somewhere to go,  
'Cos I'm at your side _

Ichigo smiles as he lays down beside her, pulling her into his strong arms. She sighs happily as she rests her head on his chest.

"I love you, Rukia."

"Love you, too, Ichigo . . ."

He is surprised when he hears her utter the words, and he looks down at her. She's still sleeping.

So, he smiles as he falls to sleep with her.

_I'll be right there for you  
I'll be right there for you, yeah  
I'm right at your side_

She is all he ever needs. And she's all he ever wants.

He just wishes that everything he had said wasn't unheard.

* * *

The song is **At Your Side by The Corrs. **I do NOT own it!!!! 

**Please Review!**


	19. Oct 21 — Untold

Here you are. The third part. Part I was **Unspoken. **Part II was **Unheard** and this one, **Untold** is the third. There _might_ be a forth if enough people want one. (Pokes)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the Characters. Want my PB&J? I also do not own the song. It is **Goodbye To You **by **Michelle Branch**. I no ownie!!

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Untold

_Of all the things I've believed in,  
I just want to get it over with,  
tears form behind my eyes,  
but I do not cry,  
counting the days that pass me by. _

He knows that it's the best thing for her. But as her brother leads her away from him, he wants to hit something. He wants to scream . . . pull her back . . anything . . .

But he can't do anything. He just stands there as she walks off into the sunset. Their friends are standing beside him; Ishida . . . Chad . . . Inoue . . . everyone came. They came to say goodbye.

He looks away, as if believing that, if he doesn't watch her leave, she's not gone forever.

But she is.

_I've been searchin' deep down in my soul;  
words that I'm hearin' are starting to get old,  
it feels like I'm starting all over again,  
The last three years were just pretend,_

When he gets back home, he slowly walks up to his room, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his gaze cast downward. He reaches his bedroom and opens the door, walking inside. He closes the door softly, and looks around the room. He can tell that she was here just this morning.

His bed is still ruffled from where they slept together last night when she had a nightmare, and her scent fills the air.

Screaming in frustration, he slams his fist in the wall and slowly slides down to the floor, his head dropping in between his knees as he tries not to cry.

She's really gone . . .

She'd told him to forget her . . . to move on, and to have a normal life.

How can he?

_And I said... _

_Goodbye to you,  
goodbye to everything I thought I knew,  
You were the one I loved,  
the one thing that I tried to hold onto. _

He doesn't sleep that night. Instead, he tosses and turns in his bed, unable to sleep; her scent is assaulting his senses, and he can't calm down. Instead, he gets out of bed and climbs out of the window and up to the roof.

The wind gently sways and washes over him, taking some of the pain with it. But it can never take it all.

How can he live knowing that he never told her?

He never told her . . . that he loved her.

And there, up on top of the roof, while the eerie glow of the moon washes over him and bathes the city in a shadow-filled light, he lets himself cry.

_I still get lost in your eyes,  
and it seems that I can't live a day without you,  
closing my eyes,  
and you chase my thoughts away,  
to a place where I am blinded by the light,  
but it's not right. _

After his tears are dried, he lays back on the roof, not caring about the cold. He remembers the last night that he spent out here with her. They talked for a while, about her having to go back.

And she told him that she didn't belong.

He wanted her to stay. He still does.

He could have never imagined the pain that he would feel if she left. He never thought about how it would change his life. She was a large part of his life now . . . she _was_. She was a bigger part of his life than he admitts to himself. He can't bare to not have her around.

He needs her.

And, sometimes, he hopes that she needs him, too.

He loves her . . . and he hopes she loves him, too.

But he doesn't know. He probably never will, either.

_And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time,  
I want what's yours and I want what's mine,  
I want you,  
but I'm giving in this time._

"Rukia . . ."

He holds a hand out to the stars, his breath hitching in his throat. Every time he closed his eyes . . . he could see her face.

Once, while they were sitting on the roof, she told him that, if she ever left, she would always be looking at the stars. . .

_"Ichigo?"_

_"Hmm?" he muttered, smiling down at her._

_She was laying in between his legs, her back resting up against his chest. His chin was pressed to her head and he was leaning back against the stone chimney. She could hear every beat of his heart, and hear and feel each and every breath he took._

_"If I ever leave . . . I'll always be looking at the stars."_

_"What?" he asked quietly, a little confused._

_"We have the same stars. In Soul Society, the stars are the same as here. If I ever leave, I'll always be looking at the stars. Will you look, too, Ichigo?" she asked, tilting her head. Her violet eyes gazed intensely into his. He smiled and let a deep breath out, wrapping his arms round her. _

_"Yeah. I promise."_

"The same stars . . . we're under the same stars," he whispers. "Rukia . . . are you looking?"

_Goodbye to you,  
goodbye to everything I thought I knew,  
You were the one I loved,  
the one thing that I tried to hold onto _

He smiles when he sees a bright streak of light stream across the night sky. A shooting star. His mom used to tell him that, every time you saw a shooting star, someone had made a wish. And God, who was up in Heaven, would smile upon them and grant their wish. His mom had told him that not only good people got their wished granted.

People who loved got their wishes granted, too.

And so, he wishes . . . he wishes that she understood everything that had been left untold. And he wishes that he could see her again.

_And when the stars fall I will lie awake,  
you're my shooting star..._

* * *

Well, I hope you like it! _Crosses fingers_. 

**Please Review!**


	20. Oct 22 — Untouched ::I will Hold You::

Hi! I decided to do a forth (And last!!) part to the series that contains **Unspoken**, **Unheard**, **Untold **and now this one, **Untouched**.

Well, thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this one!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. I also do not own the song. It is **Hold me in You Arms **by **Rick Astley.**

* * *

**(Untouched) I Will Hold You **

She falls to the ground, her knees giving out beneath her. Her white dress spreads out around her knees as she looks down at her hands.

They are covered in blood.

_His_ blood.

_We've been trying for a long time  
To say what we want to say  
But feelings don't come easy to express in a simple way  
But we all have feelings; we all need loving_

She lets her tears fall without even thinking about it. The small, crystal-like drops run down her cheeks and fall off her face, hitting the asphalt road and mixing with the rain that is pouring down on top of her. She lifts her face to the sky, letting the rain fall onto her soft skin. She doesn't bother to close her eyes, and now the cold, wet rain mixes with her salty tears.

He hurt himself again trying to protect her. He had stepped out in front of her and taken the blow that was meant for her. As he fell to the ground, his life slowly fading, he had whispered the words she would never forget.

_"I'll protect you . . . no matter what . . ."_

But she wishes that he wouldn't. She wishes that he would just live his life, and forget about her. But she knows that he can't.

_And who would be the fool to say, that if you...  
Hold me in your arms, I won't feel better  
If you hold me in your arms, we can brave this storm together_

So, as she sits in the rain, with his blood slowly slipping off of her hands as she let's the cold water wash over her, she cries.

He is laying a few feet away, his injuries not totally healed, but they are better. He hasn't moved since she finished healing him. But as she lets the loud, hard sobs wrack her body, she sees him struggle to his feet.

Herhead drops and she closes her eyes as she slumps down, her tears coming faster than ever.

_We both know there's a problem , a problem that we've got to face  
So put your trust in me, no one's ever gonna take your place _

He walks over and drops down beside her, taking her small, fragile body into his arms. She doesn't resist as he pulls her close to him. They are both soaked to the skin with the rain, and they are both covered in his blood.

"I will always protect you, I promise. But please don't cry, Rukia. Please," he whispers, lifting his hand and placing his hand on her cheek, using the pad of his thumb to wipe her tears away. "No matter what, I'll protect you."

_'Cos we all have a problem, we all have fears  
But there's got to be a way  
Yes we all have feelings, we all need loving  
And you would be a fool to say, that if you..._  
_Hold me in your arms, I won't feel better  
If you hold me in your arms, we can brave this storm together_

She doesn't move from his arms.

It's been so long since she's seen him.

It's been a year. A whole year since she left. And as soon as she comes back, he nearly dies protecting her.

"I've missed you so much, Rukia," he whispers.

"I've missed you, too, Ichigo."

_You only have to hold me, touch me to make me feel so good  
You only have to hold me, feel me to make me feel the way you know I should_

And he smiles. His eye is still covered in blood, and she can see the large bruise on his cheek, but he smiles.

"I love you, Rukia," he whispers. He said it so quietly that he doesn't think she heard.

But she did.

And she smiles, too.

"I love you, too . . ."

His smile grows as he gently kisses her. When he breaks the kiss, she lays her head on his chest.

"Let's go home," he suggests, standing to his feet and bringing her with him. She smiles and nods, taking his hand in hers.

_ . . .I will protect you . . . and when you're sad, or when you cry . . . I will hold you . . ._

_Hold me in your arms . . .  
Hold me in your eyes . . ._

* * *

Well, that was the last in the four-part series. Whatcha think? Not many people had reviewed these last few chapters, but oh, well. :D I hope everyone likes it!

And I'm now taking suggestions! I have ideas to write, but I'm saving them for next months collection. So, whoever suggests the neatest idea will have it written down!

**Please Review!**


	21. Oct 23 — Don't Touch It, Stupid

Well, here is just something I wrote a week ago. I edited it and posted it. Hope you like it! _(Personally thinks it sucks)_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the Characters.

* * *

**Don't Touch It, Stupid.**

He ducked her fist when it came flying full force at him.

She growled as he did this, putting her arm back at her side, and walked out of the room. He sighed in relief and dropped back onto his bed, not taking into account that he was longer than it was wide, and whacking his head into the terribly hard wall.

"OUCH!"

His scream of pain echoed throughout the house, and Rukia came walking back in. She still looked angry, but when she saw him curled up on the bed, holding his head in both hands and rolling back and forth, she burst out laughing.

"Not . . . funny . . . " Ichigo stuttered, hissing in pain as he touched his head. He took his hand away only to find that it was covered in blood.

Her face suddenly went from amused to concerned.

Walking over, she forcefully moved his hands out of the way and began inspecting his wound. The contact with the wall had opened one of his cuts that had just been stitched up from a fight with a Hollow. She sighed as she realized that she would have to stitch it again.

"Don't move. I'll be right back."

Ichigo didn't dare do anything that could anger her further, so he sat there like a good little boy and waited while she went into the bathroom across from his room and grabbed the stuff she would need from the medicine cabnit.

When she came back in, he was holding one of his shirts to his head; the cut was bleeding worse now.

"Scoot over," she ordered, sitting down beside him on the bed.

She gently took the shirt away and winced. It was a mess. Grabbing some wet cotten, she dabbed at the cut until she could see the open wound. Grabbing some more clean cotten, she held it in place while she stitch him up.

He winced the whole time, trying not to scream in pain, and at one point, screaming at _her_ for not giving him something for the pain. But soon she was finished and was admiring her handi-work as she wrapped gauze around the cut and then bandages around his whole head.

"There," she announced, smiling as he turned around.

"Thanks."

They were both silent for a second, then Ichigo spoke up.

"Um . . . Rukia . . . what were you so pissed off at me before?"

She seemed deep in thought, then shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess I kinda forgot when I saw you bleeding like that." Then, she proceded to punch him on the shoulder.

"What the hell was that for?" he yelled, rubbing his aching shoulder.

"Whatever I was mad at you for, fool. I never got to hit you, so I found it only right that I got to just now."

Ichigo grumbled something under his breath as he continued rubbing his shoulder. Rukia just sat there, smiling at him as he glared at her.

"Hey, Rukia, do you suppose what you were mad at me for had something to do with me being so stupid and careless fighting today?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "Might have," Rukia answered.

"Oh. Well, sorry," he said, reaching his hand up to touch the gauze. She slapped his hand out of the way, a firm look on her face as she treatened him with his life if he dared touch it.

Needless to say, he left it alone.

* * *

Sorry if they seem OOC! Anyway, I think I'll be posting **Daddy Pt: 4** tomorrow. And it will be about five-six parts total. :D

**Please Review!**


	22. Oct 24 — The Problem With Soul Candy

Chappy is in the **Manga ONLY!** Sorry for Anime watchers. Just take my word for it; she's slightly crazy.

**In Ichigo's words;** she makes Kon seem like a Godsend!

Anyway, I hope you like this!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the Characters.

* * *

**The Problem With Soul Candy**

"Ichigo, where did Chappy and Kon go?"

Ichigo sighed and slapped his forehead. He and Rukia had just finished fighting a Hollow, and their bodies, along with the crazy souls inside of the bodies, had gone missing.

Again.

For the forth time.

This week.

"I. Am. Going. To. _Kill_. Him!" Ichigo roared, putting his Zanpaktou on his back as he stomped out of the alleyway. Rukia sighed, rolling her eyes as she followed him. As she watched Ichigo stomp around each corner, she actually began feeling slightly sorry for Kon.

But not much, considering what he and Chappy were probably doing with their bodies.

Something she did _not_ want to think about.

Last time the two Mod Souls had gone missing, they had been found fighting each other. Using, of course, Rukia and Ichigo's bodies. Said Shinigami had been sore for days afterwards, and Rukia had to smuggle Kon out of the house to get Ishida to replace his cotton.

All of it.

And an eye.

As she followed behind Ichigo, careful not to bump into anyone, she was grateful that no one could see them in Shinigami form. Well, almost no one. Chad, Inoue and Ishida could. So could a few other select people; but that was it.

"Ichigo, really, let it go. They're probably out doing something harmless. You have to admit, we don't let them outside all that often," Rukia said, sighing.

She regretted taking Ichigo's advice and putting that Soul Candy into a stuffed animal so she would always have a backup if she forgot her soul candy.

She had, _of course_, put it inside the bunny doll she had received from Ichigo for her last birthday.

"Harmless. Bah! They're probably killing each other right about now," he whined as he began to walk faster.

Rukia had to start jogging to keep up with his fast, long strides.

She wanted to just go home and rest.

She was about to knock Ichigo over the head and tell him to give up when they found Chappy and Kon.

Entangled.

In a dark alley.

_Kissing_.

Ichigo went berserk.

Rukia just gaped.

Kon (in Ichigo's body), was holding Chappy (in her body) around the waist, and they were kissing.

And, she noticed, Kon had his hand up Chappy's shirt.

Oh, forget letting Ichigo kill Kon.

_She _got first dibs!

She was snapped out of her thoughts of killing Kon in brutal, evil ways by Ichigo's loud voice.

"KON! What the _hell_ do you think you are doing?"

Said Mod Soul jumped away from his female companion with a start as Ichigo's voice echoed throughout the space around them.

Ichigo didn't give Kon a chance to answer as he grabbed Kon around the stomach, whacked his head hard enough to knock it off its neck, and grabbed the soul candy when it came out of his mouth.

Rukia saw what he was about to do just in time.

She quickly took the Soul Candy from Ichigo.

"No, don't crush it, baka!" she yelled, taking Chappy out of her own body and placing the two mod souls in her pocket.

"Why the hell not? Did you see what he was doing?"

"I'm all_ too_ aware of what he was doing! Still, _no crushing_!"

Ichigo gave up and quickly entered his body. He could taste juice in his mouth . . . and Rukia was the only one who had had juice for lunch.

Yup.

He was going to kill Kon.

Not that he didn't feel good; he actually had several sensations running through his body as he walked stiffly back to school with a silent Rukia at his side.

When he walked back into the school grounds, everyone was just finishing up lunch.

"What do you think they were doing?" Ishida asked, throwing his trash into a nearby trash bin.

Inoue, always the observant one, smiled as she whispered something to Ishida. Said Quincy looked shocked. He then smiled as he yelled,

"Kurosaki! You have lipstick on your mouth!"

* * *

Well, what do you think? Ever since they introduced Chappy (Only in the Manga!) I have always thought it would be funny if something like this were to happen. Personally, I liked how it turned out!

**Please Review!**


	23. Oct 25 — The Star

Well, I'm SO sorry for not having this out sooner. I didn't have time to write it out before school today, so I had to settle for afterwards. _Man!_

Anyway, I hope you all like it! It's a tad short, though . . .

**Sorry I didn't get Daddy Pt: 4 out! I don't have it all written up, so I didn't have time to finished it! Yikes! _(Ducks objects being throwin at her)_**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or its Characters.

* * *

**The Star**

Ichigo smiled as he looked at the lagre, green tree in the middle of the room. It was finally done.

He, Yuzu, Karin, Rukia and his father had just finished after working for nearly two hours. Of course, it didn't help that his father _really_ didn't do anything, and Rukia had more fun playing with the decorations than putting them on the tree. She had the most fun the the lights, which she had actually tried eating before Ichigo made her stop and had picked her up and sat her on the couch so she would be out of the way while he put said lights around the tree.

She then, or course, came back and had great fun with the shiny little balls.

Ichigo squirmed under the tree and grabbed the light plug, sticking it into the wall outlet. The multi colored lights lit up the room, and as they flickered on and off, Karin reached over and turned off the real light so that that living room was bathed in lights of green, red, yellow and blue. Rukia's eyes went wide as she stared at the tree. Ichigo reached over and nudged her.

"Hey, Rukia. I talked to my dad about it, and we usually let one of the girls put up the star each year, since my mom used to do it. And, well, if you would like to, Yuzu and Karin said you could put up the star this year," he said quietly.

"Really?"

Ichigo nodded, his smile growing at the look of delight on Rukia's face as the multi colored lights lit up her features.

"How do I do it?"

"Well, usually, Karin and Yuzu stand on my shoulders to reach the top of the tree. And seeing as how you're so short and all . . ." Ichigo smirked at the glare aimed his way. But Rukia, who was too wrapped in the Christmas Tree, didn't spare him an elbow to the stomach.

"OK. Hold still then," Rukia said, beginning her climb up on Ichigo's shoulders. He groaned as she dug her heal into his back.

Yuzu, Karin and his father were all watching from the other side of the room as Ichigo handed Rukia the star and she placed it on the top of the tree.

Then, everything came crashing down, litertally.

Rukia lost her footing, and Ichigo, trying to keep her upright, fell over, too. He hit the floor hard, actidently pulling out the light cord. Everything was completely bathed in darkness as an "omph" was heard from Ichigo.

Rukia had landed on top of him.

Even in the darkness, Ichigo was very aware of how close Rukia was to him. She was laying on his chest, her face alligned with his perfectly. His breathing still hard from the fall, Ichigo leaned up and gently placed his lips on hers.

He didn't realize what he was doing until Rukia began to kiss him back. Then, he was just glad that she hadn't decided to kill him.

Suddenly, the lights came back on, and Ichigo knew he would never live that down.

His father began crying and saying something along the lines of "My baby boy's finally growing up!" while Karin just punched her father. Yuzu was smiling happily, and Ichigo and Rukia were blushing a deep of shade of red that would give an apple a run for its money.

Rukia just smiled and rested her head on Ichigo's chest for a second before standing to her feet. Then, she said,

"Ichigo, the star isn't straight. Lemme back up on you shoulders . . ."

* * *

Well, that was useless. But I felt like writing it, so you're all stuck. :D_ (Evil laugh)_

Whatcha think?

**Please Review!**


	24. Oct 26 — Daddy Pt: IV — Gently Sing

I love this one! I think it is my favorite thing I had written so far. I really like it! And it doesn't have the new baby in it . . . although you will find out if it's a boy of a girl!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ichigo and Rukia. I do own baby Kaien, though. And Kaien owns Ichigo's hair. And Ichigo's hair looks like a carrot . . .

* * *

**Daddy Pt: IV — Gently Sing**

"Rukia, where is the baby radio?"

Ichigo, who was currently holding a crying Kaien, was searching the baby's nursery for the baby monitor, which had gone missing. Kaien, nearly eight-months-old now, was screaming for all he was worth. And Ichigo's ears couldn't take much more.

What does this have to do with a baby monitor, you ask? Well, before I tell you that story, I have to tell you this story first . . . well, forget that story. This one is much better.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, sticking his head out of the door, and trying to make his voice be audible over the baby's loud, shrill screams. Rukia, dressed simply in a jean mini skirt and a pink Tee, walked into the nursery.

"Huh?"

"I asked where the baby monitor is," Ichigo said, wincing as Kaien's cries became louder.

The three had just moved into a larger apartment three weeks ago, and nothing was in place yet. Kaien's nursery was the only thing fully decorated because that was what Ichigo spent the most time doing. The living room was a mess of boxes and furniture, and their bedroom was holding everything that was supposed to be in the kitchen.

Moving in while you had a baby that had colic was a very hard thing to do. Right now, though, colic wasn't all that Kaien had. He also had an ear infection, which was making him even more cranky. And on top of that he was coming down with something, because he had a small fever.

Rukia smiled and took Kaien from Ichigo, holding him gently in her arms and rocking him back and forth. She kissed his tiny, hair covered head. His hair was growing fast, and it was bright orange, just like Ichigo's.

"Hey, little guy. Don't cry. You're giving daddy a headache," Rukia whispered, rocking him back and forth in her arms as she walked out of the room. Kaien stopped crying for a second, blinking tears out of his bright violet eyes. Rukia looked back at Ichigo and mouthed,

'I don't know where the monitor is. Look in our bedroom.'

Ichigo nodded and put a hand to his head as he leaned up against the wall. Life with a baby was hard.

He couldn't imagine two babies. Kaien would barely be one by the time the new baby came!

But as he began rearranging Kaien's tiny clothes in his dresser, he smiled, fingering the tiny frog suit.

They would make it.

Ichigo closed the drawer and walked out of the room, heading into his and Rukia's bedroom. But he stopped when he saw Rukia walking back and forth in the living room, singing in a quiet voice to Kaien. He recognized the tune; it was one his mom used to sing to him.

_Baby dear, good night, good night,  
Doggie lies in slumbers deep;  
Hush-a-bye, my treasure bright,  
Pussy, too, is fast asleep.  
Don't you wake them! If you do,  
Pups will bark, and Puss will mew.  
Go to sleep, and never fear,  
Mother will call when morning's near._

As she finished the song, Kaien stuck his fingers in his mouth, looking up at Rukia while kicking his tiny legs back and forth. She smiled down at him and kissed his head again before continuing to walk back and forth, her hips swaying as she continued to hum.

Ichigo shook his head and walked back into his bedroom, beginning to shuffle through the mass amounts of boxes.

Rukia's voice was so beautiful . . . and she rarely sung. Only when she was trying to get Kaien to calm down. Whenever he was cranky, he would immediately calm down when Rukia started humming. Sometimes when Rukia was gone, and Ichigo was alone with Kaien, he could tell that the baby missed his mother.

He was sometimes envious of her bond with Kaien, but he knew it would be like that. She'd had eight months with him as a part of her; it was only natural. But still . . .

He smiled to himself as he listened to Rukia singing again.

He wondered where she had heard that song . . .

"Ah! I found it!"

Suddenly, Ichigo jumped up from his position shifting through the boxes and held the monitor up proudly.

Sadly there was no one else in the room to share in his happiness.

After hooking it up quickly beside Kaien's crib, he walked out into the living room and wrapped his arms from Rukia from behind. She looked up at him and smiled.

"He's sleeping," she announced. Ichigo smiled, burying his face in her neck and breathing in her scent.

"Where did you learn that song?" he asked quietly, reaching a hand over her shoulder to gently touch Kaien's face. The little baby moved in his sleep, cuddling closer to Rukia and sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"I heard you singing it to Kaien."

Oh. So that was where she had heard it. But he had only sung it once, because he had remembered that whenever he was scared, or couldn't sleep, his mother would sing that song to him. And it always made him feel better.

"Rukia, what did the doctor say today during your visit?"

Rukia turned around in Ichigo's embrace. She smiled widely.

"I asked him the sex of the baby, and he told me."

Ichigo's face lit up.

"Really? Tell me!"

Rukia smirked.

"It's a girl."

Ichigo's smile grew, if that was even possible. He would have jumped up and ran around the room yelling if he wasn't afraid of waking the baby.

"Wow! A baby girl . . ."

Rukia grinned back, handing Kaien over to Ichigo.

Ichigo looked down at his son, whom was currently dressed in a tiny pair of overalls and a red T-shirt. His tiny feet were bare, and his toes were curling in his sleep.

"Hear that? You're getting a baby sister," he said, grinning madly as he walked into the nursery and set Kaien gently down in the crib. Rukia followed after him, standing by the side of the crib and watching as Kaien rolled over on his stomach, his tiny fingers popping out of his mouth.

She loved watching him sleep.

Leaning her head against Ichigo's arm, she rested her hands on her stomach, which was gently swelling with her five months in pregnancy. She could already feel the baby moving, something the doctor said was because of her already having a child and her small frame.

"Did you find the monitor?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded, pointing to the radio, who's green light indicated "on".

"Good. Now, go get to unpacking."

Ichigo whined but hopped out of the room. He was in the bedroom hanging up his clothes in the closet when he heard Kaien's small cry come through the monitor in his room. But then, he heard Rukia's soft voice float through the monitor. Kaien's cries stopped, and all he heard was Rukia's beautiful voice. Walking over, he sat down on the bed, picking up the radio in both hands.

_Baby dear, good night, good night,  
Doggie lies in slumbers deep;  
Hush-a-bye, my treasure bright,_

He didn't know when he had started crying; he just felt the cold, salty tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't protect his mother, and she had died to keep him safe.

_Pussy, too, is fast asleep.  
Don't you wake them! If you do,  
Pups will bark, and Puss will mew_

He would never let that happen to Rukia. And as he listened to her voice float over the radio, he felt as though he could hear his mother's voice, too . . .

_Go to sleep, and never fear,  
Mother will call when morning's near. . ._

* * *

Well, did you like? I had fun writing it, and there will be one or two more parts. This one I just had to write when the idea came to me. I think I nearly made myself cry . . . although that _could_ be from PMS . . . 

**Please Review!**


	25. Oct 27 — Stuffing

Well, here you are. Another dose of insanity disguised as a story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters. I do, however, own stuffing! _(Evil Laugh)_

* * *

**Stuffing**

There were many kinds of stuffing. Their was the kind of stuffing you could put in a turkey; there was the kind of stuffing in stuffed animals, and there was ... well ... are there anymore?

The object of this story will deal with the first, and only, two that I mentioned.

"Ichigo!"

Said Shinigami was pulled from his thoughts of feeding, by force if necessary, his homework to Kon when Rukia burst through his door.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo yelled, nearly falling out of his chair as he glared at the midget in his doorway.

"Kon's missing!"

Well, there went the idea of feeding the homework to him. _Maybe Rukia would eat it . . ._

"So what?" Ichigo asked, going back to trying to answer the complex Algebra question.

"Well, let's see," Rukia said, leaning up against the door, a smirk on her face. "One; if anyone sees a talking stuffed lion, we could have problems. Two; I lost my glove, if a Hollow comes along, you're stuck. And three; Yuzu wants him to try on a new dress and I promised I would find him." Rukia finished by throwing a book at Ichigo's head.

He yelped and stood to his feet, glaring at her.

"Fine. I'll help you find that God-forsaken lion."

Rukia smiled and skipped out of the door. Ichigo followed grumbling. When they found Ichigo's whole family sitting in the living room, Ichigo pulled on his coat and said,

"We're going out. Be back in a bit."

Isshin waved and Karin and Yuzu, who were playing a video game, didn't even move.

Ichigo sighed and handed Rukia her coat, wrapping it around her shoulders when she hopped out happily into the cold air.

"Put it on, stupid."

She glared at him but wrapped the coat around herself anyway. They began searching the streets. That was where Kon was most of the time; trying to pick up a girl on his way home.

That, or trying to drown himself in the rain.

Which almost worked once.

The fluffy, orange lion who was currently being searched for was sitting under Ichigo's bed, having stuffed himself into Ichigo's size 11 shoe.

It. Smelled. Bad.

"GAH!"

Kon popped out of the shoe, gasping in the fresh air as he ran as far away from the shoe as he could get. Rubbing his head with his fluffy paw, he began walking around the house, taking extra care not to get caught by Yuzu.

But as fate would have it, he was found.

By none other than said little, enthusiastic girl, Yuzu.

"Oh, there you are! Come with me to cook!"

And then she hauled him into the kitchen. He then got a running commentary on her life while Yuzu put together a turkey.

"Yesterday, while I was playing with Jinta, I fell and hurt my arm. I got a big bruise, but it's not broken. And after that, me and Ururu put some goo into Jinta's shoes. When he stepped inside of them, there was a really funny sound and then he started chasing us. It was fun."

Kon was trying not to scream . . . or laugh . . . or cry. Or anything.

He had to be a good stuffed animal, or else Ichigo said he would tie him up in his stinky socks and hide him in the floorboards.

Bad thoughts.

"And then, on the way home, I was playing with Karin's soccer ball that she left with me, and I accidentally kicked it into the park. I had to run after it in the rain because my umbrella flew away. I got really wet!"

Kon watched as Yuzu began putting something inside the turkey. She smiled and turned to him.

"This is stuffing. Want some?"

And then she fed him stuffing. He could feel it tickling against the back of his furry throat, and he felt like giving Yuzu a kick in the face, but the thought of Ichigo's socks made him stop.

"Anyway, while I was in the park, I saw a doggie, and I saw a little boy playing along. I think he was a ghost but I'm not sure. But then he was gone; and all I could see was a black butterfly. I wasn't actually looking when he disappeared, but I could hear voices."

Kon was about to scream. He couldn't take much more! Who in the would could listen to Yuzu ramble on and on about such a boring day? AHH!

"And then I found Ichi-nii and Rukia-chan!" Yuzu continued, sticking something in the turkey and shoving it in the oven. She then turned to Kon and picked him up. "They were kissing!"

Thank God Ichigo and Rukia walked in at the moment, or else Yuzu would have seen Kon crying and it would all be over for the pretty, little stuffed lion. It would be socks for him.

"Hey, Yuzu, who you talking to?" Ichigo asked, hanging up his coat. He had heard the last sentence that Yuzu had said, and his face was bright red. Rukia was following behind him. "Rukia! Off with the coat and shoes! Now."

Rukia glared and turned back, walking over to the door and pulling off her shoes and coat.

"Oh, I'm just talking to my stuffed lion. I found him, Rukia-chan, you don't have to look anymore. I was telling him about seeing you guys kissing in the rain!"

Ichigo groaned.

Heknew that he was in for a lot of yelling from one small, orange lion when he hauled the mod-soul back up to his room.

And if Yuzu saw Kon crying right now, it was socks for him.

* * *

Whatcha think? I think I'm crazy!

**Please Review!**


	26. Oct 28 — Photograph

Sorry it was late! As some of you might know already, my little brothers, Jacob and Dusty, have been sick for the past week. We don't know what it is, and today Dusty was coughing so badly he couldn't breathe well. So we had to take him to the ER and have him checked out.

He's OK now, so is Jacob, and their both getting better. Which is a relief to me! I have time to do my homework now!

**Disclaimer:**

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**Photograph**

Ichigo smiled as he held the photograph in his hand. His sad face still held a smile, but he was hurting on the inside. _He missed her . . . _

A photograph holds more than just pictures. It holds memories, it holds the forgotten faces of your loved ones or friends, and it holds emotion.

When you look at someone, you can't tell their emotions. But in a photograph, the emotions are frozen, and preserved forever. You can study it, and never find out what the person was thinking, or they can be read like a book.

Sometimes, you see sadness or happiness, and somethimes you see hate or love.

Sometimes both.

But sometimes, just looking at the picture, you realize how much you miss the person if he or she is gone. You can see their smiling faces and their sparkling eyes.

And you can hope that you will see them again.

Sometime . . . somewhere . . . maybe a meeting just by chance. But you can hope.

And that's all you can do.

_Rukia . . ._

* * *

Well, that was short.

But I was going through my photographs today, and I saw the picture of my baby sister who died seven years ago, and I was crying as I looked at her little face, thinking about how much more photographs held than just memories. I wish she were still here today, but the pain is nearly gone now, and I know that she's in a better place.

**Please Review!**


	27. Oct 29 — Daddy Pt: V — Double Trouble

Well, sorry it took so long. I had to run it through several spell checkers because I'm a little horrible at slepping today. :D Thanks for all the reviews I have gotten both on this story and my lther, **Shadows In The Night**!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. I own baby Kaien and baby Masaki, though!

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**Daddy Pt: V — Double Trouble**

"Ichigo! Could you take Kaien for a minute?"

Ichigo stuck his head out from Kaien's room and groaned, rolling his eyes. Dropping the diaper bag he was holding, he walked into the living room and gently took the baby from Rukia. She smiled at him and walked into the bathroom; the baby, now only a month from being born, had decided to sit on Rukia's bladder that morning, and as such, she had been using the restroom all day.

Kaien began babbling nonsense as Ichigo walked with him back into the nursery and sat him down on the changing table.

He began stripping the baby of his wet clothes and dropped them inside the laundry basket.

"Eww! You stink, baby!"

Kaien laughed and began kicking his feet back and forth, making it very hard for Ichigo to remove the soiled diaper from the squirming baby.

Ichigo smiled and grabbed one of Kaien's feet, blowing air onto it, making a loud fart-like sound. Kaien giggled harder and Ichigo took the moment he had to take the diaper off of him. He smiled at his accomplishment and wrapped the diaper up, dropping it in the trash before cleaning up Kaien and putting a clean diaper on him.

"What should you wear? Hmm . . . something that will make Uncle Byakuya laugh, huh?"

Kaien just giggled and kicked his legs harder.

Ichigo began surfing through Kaien's clothes before pulling out a dark blue pair of jean overalls and a orange T-shirt that clipped between the baby's legs. Kaien wore a lot of overalls because he liked to take off his pants and throw them.

After wrestling Kaien to put a pair of orange socks on, Ichigo finally gave up and stuffed them, along with the cute, fuzzy jean shoes, into Kaien's diaper bag.

"Let's go, stinkie."

Kaien continued giggling as Ichigo hoisted him up into his arms and kissed his small head before walking out of the nursery, only to run back in a second later to grab the diaper bag which he had left behind.

When he walked into the living room, Rukia was sitting down on the couch, her hand resting on her large stomach. Ichigo smiled and reached down, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Are you sure you can still fit in the car?" Ichigo teased, knowing very well she couldn't do anything to him even if she wanted to; her small frame and the weight of being eight months pregnant was proving to be a challenge for walking.

Rukia glared at him. Ichigo grinned and grabbed her coat, wrapping it around her shoulders before opening the door for her and leading her outside. Once she had wrestled herself into the car, Ichigo opened the back door and placed Kaien in his car seat, reaching over and buckling the buckles, checking and rechecking to see if they were tight enough.

Once Kaien was safely inside, Ichigo closed the door and walked over to his own, getting inside and starting the car.

"Am I really that fat?" Rukia asked, staring at her huge belly.

Ichigo leaned over and kissed her stomach, leaning his head on it for a second to feel the baby kick.

"If I didn't know better, I'd guess you were having twins. But the test my dad did pretty much ruled that out," Ichigo said, pulling the car out of the driveway of their small apartment complex.

The apartment complex wasn't one of those that was three stories high and had about fifty apartments on it. Instead, it was an actual house split in two; they lived on one side and, currently, no one else lived on the other. It was three bedroom, and the size of the yard was enough for Kaien to play in, so Ichigo had gone ahead and bought it, saying that if they ever had more kids, they could share rooms.

The apartment was on a block with several other houses like it. Unlike in most cities, there were large trees surrounding the houses and all the yards were kept nice. All in all, it was a very nice neighborhood to raise children in. And there was a school nearby, which was a plus.

Currently, Ichigo, Rukia and Kaien were going to visit Byakuya and Renji, who were staying at the Urahara Shop. As soon as Rukia had heard that they were going to be staying for a week, she decided that she wanted to visit them. And of course, she wanted to bring Kaien, and Ichigo had to come, too, so she made a family event out of it.

"You're brother is going to chew me to pieces," Ichigo whined, turning the car into the Urahara shop.

"Well, I should hope not. I don't plan on taking care of two babies all by myself," Rukia said, smiling as she reached into the back seat and touched Kaien's little foot. He giggled and pulled it back, grabbing his tiny toes with his hands and sticking them in his mouth. His bright violet eyes were glowing happily as he wiggled his little fingers at Rukia in a wave.

Ichigo turned off the car as Kaien began babbling nonsense. After helping Rukia out, he opened the car door and worked on getting Kaien unbuckled.

For the happy baby he was, Kaien was fond of his car seat, and when he was taken out, he would begin to cry. So, as Ichigo tried to knock on the door with one hand, hold the diaper bag on his shoulder without dropping it, and having Kaien in the other hand, he was about to cry, which Kaien was doing enough for both of them.

Renji opened the door, and nearly laughed at the sight of Ichigo, a captain-level Shinigami, overburdened with a diaper bag and a baby.

"Ah, shut up and take Kaien for me, will ya?" Ichigo growled. Renji laughed again and lifted Kaien out of Ichigo's arms. Said baby began screaming louder the second he was removed from the save haven of daddy, and soon Urahara and Byakuya came in to find out who had the lung capacity to scream so loud.

"I see he takes after you, Kurosaki," Urahara said, laughing.

Ichigo ignored him and began shuffling through the diaper bag, finally grabbing Kaien's shoes and socks.

He took the baby from Renji and sat him down on the counter, quickly pulling on the socks and shoes on him while he was busy screaming and not concentrating on trying to keep the fuzzy objects off of his feet.

Afterwards, Ichigo lifted Kaien back into his arms; the smaller of the two stopped crying. Looking around, he realized that Rukia had gone off to the bathroom.

Soo . . . he was left alone with three insane, manic Shinigami.

At least he had a baby to use as a shield.

* * *

"Since you know the sex of the baby, have you decided on a name?" Renji asked, smirking as Ichigo fought with the banana. Rukia was better with feeding Kaien, but since she was so large with pregnancy and had trouble even _holding_ Kaien anymore, Ichigo had taken it upon himself to do most of the work. 

But feeding Kaien bananas was _hard_.

He kept spitting them out, so Ichigo had to scrape them off of his face and try again. It took three tries to even feed the baby one spoon-full. He wished that Rukia could still breast feed Kaien, but she had to give that up when she found out she was pregnant again.

He wasn't even sure _how_ she had gotten pregnant while breast feeding . . .

"Yeah, we decided a name," Rukia answered, smiling.

"Well, what is it?" Renji asked, now curious. He was actually doing most of the talking, as he was closer to Ichigo and Rukia than he was to Urahara and Byakuya. Actually, Urahara wasn't even in the room; he had to go do something involving Ururu and Jinta.

"We can't tell you," Ichigo said, groaning as Kaien spit his banana all over himself.

"What?" Renji asked, pouting now.

Ichigo could tell that Renji had had plenty of coffee . . .

Rukia jabbed Ichigo in the stomach, glaring playfully at him.

"We're going to name her Masaki Hisana."

Ichigo could see the reaction from Byakuya at the mention of his late wife's name.

"We thought it was fitting, seeing as how Kaien got named after two special people. Actually, we had decided that, if was going to be a boy, we were going to name it Byakuya William Kurosaki," Rukia said, shifting her position on the couch to a more comfortable position. Ichigo could tell she was uncomfortable and moved to a better position so she could sit better.

"You were going to name it after me?" Byakuya asked, turning his head to look at his sister properly for the first time that night. She smiled and nodded, subconsciously rubbing her stomach to calm the restless baby. She was kicking again.

"Yeah, we-" Rukia was cut off as she doubled over in pain, hissing through her teeth. Ichigo was at her side instantly.

"You OK? The baby's not coming is it?"

"No, she's just kicking really hard. It hurts," Rukia said, breathing heavily. "Oh, God it hurts . . ."

"Should I call my dad?" Ichigo asked, helping Rukia into a sitting position. Byakuya and Renji were hovering over her, too.

She shook her head.

"I'll be fine. Ichigo, she kicks as hard as you!" Rukia exclaimed, collapsing back onto the couch. Ichigo caught her with his free hand, handing Kaien to Byakuya with his other. He gently straightened Rukia out on the couch, putting his hand to her stomach.

"That's funny. I don't feel her kicking. Rukia, I _really_ think I should call my dad," Ichigo said, worried now. The pain was slowly getting worse, and as Rukia placed her own hand on top of Ichigo's, she couldn't feel the baby kicking, as she usually could, even when her hand was over another.

"That m-might be a good i-idea . . " Rukia stuttered.

"Just . . . breathe as if you were in labor. That should help the pain. I'll be right back," Ichigo said, kissing her on the forehead before running to the phone. He dialed with shaking hands and was sure he had got the number wrong until his dad picked up the phone with his usual loud greeting.

"YO!"

"Dad, I think something's wrong," the worry in his voice bleeding out and over the phone. Isshin instantly became serious.

"Wrong with what? The baby?"

"Yeah. A couple minutes ago Rukia said if felt like the baby was just kicking really hard, but now she's in so much pain . . ."

"Has her water broken?" Isshin asked, full doctor mode turning on.

"Not yet. Dad, please . . ."

"I'll come right over. Are you at home?"

"No, I'm at the Urahara shop."

"I'll be right over."

Ichigo hung up and walked back into the living room. Kaien was crying in Byakuya's arms, and as soon as he saw Ichigo, he held out his arms and didn't stop crying until Ichigo took him, running his hand over his soft orange hair. Kaien leaned his head up against Ichigo's shoulders and stuck his fingers in his mouth, blinking tears out of his eyes.

Ichigo bent down beside Rukia and whipped her sweaty hair out of her face, giving her an encouraging smile.

"My dad's going to be here in a minute. It'll be fine, OK?"

Rukia nodded up at him, breathing deeply again. Ichigo reached out his free hand and grasped Rukia's tightly in his own. Kaien was reaching out, trying to get to Rukia. He was beginning to pout again. Finally, Ichigo just sat him on his knee so he could lay his head on Rukia's arm.

Byakuya, Renji and Ichigo were all on the edge of their seats, flinching everytime Rukia winced in pain. When Isshin appeared in the doorway, everyone breathes a sigh of relief and Ichigo hauled his dad over to Rukia.

"Hello, Rukia. Are you feeling alright?"

"N-not r-r-really . . ." Rukia gasped, sitting up and startling Kaien into a cry as another wave of pain crashed over her. "It u-used to just f-feel like k-kicking, but now, it f-feels like contractions."

"Has your water broken?" Isshin asked, quickly checking her over. The second the words were out of his mouth, Rukia gave the loudest cry of all and gripped Ichigo's hand tightly. Looking up at Byakuya, Ichigo motioned to Kaien. Byakuya nodded and took the baby so he wouldn't fall or get in the way. Kaien cried in protest, but let Byakuya hold him.

"M-maybe . . I-I'm not sure," Rukia said.

"Rukia, would you like to go to the hospital?"

Rukia shook her head slightly.

"We were p-planning on a-a home birth."

"Well then, I'll have to deliver," Isshin said, snapping on a pair of gloves. He quickly shooed everyone away and lifted Rukia's legs. He then placed a blanket over her for privacy. Renji turned around and walked over to the wall; he didn't _quite_ want to be a witness to a live birth in Urahara's living room.

"Rukia, you're water's intact, but I don't think it will be for long. Soon you're going to feel like you want to push, but don't. It's too early and I would like to wait just a little while to make sure that this isn't false labor, OK?"

Rukia couldn't do anything but nod. Ichigo held onto her hand tightly as he moved onto the couch behind her, letting her rest her head on his chest. When she cried out because of the pain, Kaien began screaming and reaching out for her. Byakuya was doing his best to comfort the baby, but it wasn't working. Ichigo looked over, and he could tell that Kaien was sleepy; he never got _this_ cranky otherwise.

"Rukia, I'm going to go settle Kaien down real quick, OK?"

Rukia nodded, taking another deep breath in. Ichigo stood from behind her and walked over to Byakuya, taking the screaming baby from him. Kaien was still crying, but not so loud and shrill. Whispering quietly to the baby, Ichigo walked outside the door, closing it behind him. If you listened closely, you could hear Ichigo's sometimes rough voice singing sweetly, or as sweetly as he could manage, to Kaien.

"Rukia, I'm afraid that these are real contractions. Your going to give birth in a matter of hours. You have two choices: Since the baby is a little early, it would be best to go to the hospital, but as soon as your water breaks, it will be too late to stop the labor. So your first choice would be to try and get you to the hospital before that happens. Your second choice, since the baby is only a little early and should be perfectly fine, would to have the baby here. If problems arise, or the baby doesn't look very healthy, we can bring it to the hospital," Isshin explained, coming to sit beside Rukia.

"Aren't you a doctor?" she asked, looking up just as Ichigo walked back in.

As Isshin nodded, Ichigo passed the now sleeping Kaien back to Byakuya and walked back over to Rukia, taking her hand in his own.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Rukia's in labor. And yes, I am a doctor, but I'm afraid I don't have the right medications to try and stop the labor-"

"Oh, God, I think my water just broke."

And that was the beginning of the madness.

Isshin suddenly went into full doctor mode again and kicked Byakuya and Renji out of the room, letting only Ichigo stay. After checking, and seeing that her water _had_ broken, he began preparing her for the birth.

* * *

Two hours later, on December 23rd, at three-thirty PM, Masaki Hisana Kurosaki was born into the world weighing roughly six pounds and five ounces. Isshin had wrapped her up in a soft blanket that Renji had snatched from Urahara's supplies and handed her to Rukia, who was now sitting up, tired but happy. 

"Well, she looks healthy, she's breathing fine, and she's moving around, so that's all good. But she still needs to take a visit to the hospital so we can get checked over and you guys can fill out a birth certificate."

Ichigo nodded, his eyes still fixed on the new baby. Everyone was crowded around, even Urahara, who had returned from whatever he had been doing earlier.

"She looks like you," Renji said to Rukia. Rukia just smiled. Thankfully, Masaki hadn't earned bright orange hair; instead, it looked as though she had gotten Rukia's hair. And her eyes. But her personality said Ichigo.

Rukia found that out the second she started crying and fussing.

Yup. _That_ was Ichigo.

"Ichigo, go get Kaien in his car seat and take Rukia and the baby to the hospital. I'll follow. So will . . ." he looked questioningly at Byakuya and Renji.

"I want to be there with my sister," Byakuya said, still staring at the baby. Renji nodded as well and Ichigo took Kaien from Byakuya and buckled him inside the car outside before coming back in, after warning Jinta and Ururu to watch Kaien, and picking Rukia up bridal style and carrying her out to the car, for he doubted that she could walk well after giving birth.

Once everyone was at the hospital, and Kaien was awake again, Rukia was settled into a bed and taken care of while Masaki was brought up to the NICU.

"We need you to fill out a birth certificate," one of the nurses said, smiling as she walked over to Ichigo and Rukia. Ichigo nodded and began filling out everything he knew by heart, consulting the doctor about some things and asking the exact weight of the baby, as they hadn't been able to check very well with a fruit scale.

Afterwards, Rukia kicked him out and asked him to check on Masaki.

He walked up to the NICU, knowing that he would find Renji and Byakuya, with Kaien, watching over the baby like Rukia had asked. They'd had to stay outside because they weren't direct family, but they were making sure that Masaki was fine.

As they watched Ichigo walk inside, after taking a fussy Kaien, and walk over to Masaki's crib and smile at the baby, Byakuya decided that maybe Ichigo was good enough for his sister.

Just maybe.

* * *

That. Was. _LONG_. Yikes! I took me forever to write, and there will hopefully be one more after this when Kaien is five and Masaki is four. About how they see ghosts. In your review, please tell me what you would like to see in another one if I ever do one after te next. 

Thanks and I hope you like this!

**Please Review!**


	28. Oct 30 — Costumes and Customs

Well, this was random. **Anyway, my halloween fic is up!!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. You no sue, I be happy.

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Costumes and Customs

Ichigo _glared_ at the costume. He was never going shopping with Rukia _ever_ again. Right now, he would rather die than put the stupid costume on. Nope. He _would_ die before putting it on. There was no way in _hell_ he was going to wear that thing. She would have to sit on top of him and dress him herself if she expected him to wear that. She could go alone if she wanted, but he was not wearing that God-forsaken costume. Not in a million years.

Nope.

So, how was it that, an hour later, Ichigo was dressed in the costume and forced outside by Rukia?

We will probably never know.

She must have sat on top of him and dressed him herself.

But now he was holding the stupid orange pumpkin bag and they were going hunting for candy. Which Rukia seemed to think she was going to eat a lot of at once. But there was no way Ichigo would let her have it all; he had found out how hyper she got when she had too much sugar when she had drunk five juice boxes in an hour. It must have had to do with how little sugar there was in the Soul Society.

He guessed she wasn't used to all the sugar, but she was not getting more than five pieces of candy.

And _only_ if she was nice.

He was taller, and could inforce the candy rule easily.

So, as they walked up to the front door of the first house, with Yuzu and Karin giggling at him from behind, Rukia hauled him by the ear and made him ring the doorbell. They had Karin and Yuzu stand in front, because it would look awkward of two teens were the only ones knocking on the doors.

As the door opened, Rukia held Ichigo's ear tighter so he didn't get any ideas about running away.

Yuzu happily asked for candy, and the kind woman at the door put a little extra in her bag before handing out candy to the others. The second the door closed, Ichigo ran away, hiding n shame as he tried to tear the costume to little pieces. But Rukia came up to him and took him by the ear again.

"Let me go, Baka!" Ichigo yelled, reaching up to take her hand away. But Rukia just pulled him forward.

"Nope. Come on, Yuzu and Karin are getting ahead. Your dad told us to watch them, and I plan on doing just that," Rukia said, tugging on his ear again to get him moving.

Ichigo groaned, and was forced to come alone to several more houses.

Soon, their bags were getting full, but Yuzu and Karin didn't want to go back yet. Ichigo and Rukia were now hauled along by Ichigo's sisters, who were dressed up as a cat, Yuzu, and a witch, Karin. Rukia smiled and bounced along, already having eaten some of her candy. She was currently dressed up a bunny. Nothing too much, just a pair of ears and a few other things.

But before next year, he was going to have to make sure that she knew the difference between boy costumes and girl ones.

Grumbling, Ichigo followed behind them, sulking as Karin rang the doorbell on what he felt was the millionth house.

Rukia, who didn't want anymore candy, stayed back with Ichigo as the two twins chatted with the girl at the door, who they appeared to know from school. Rukia was poking around with one of the Halloween decorations when a ghost suddenly sprang forward from the soft, inflated rubber. She screamed loudly, backing up fast.

Ichigo made a sound that came out somewhat like "Oomph" as Rukia hit into him and they both fell to the ground.

She landed right on top of him, her face inches away from his. Suddenly very aware of their position, Rukia jumped back up and glared at the ghost to hide her blush.

Ichigo's face was about as red as blood as he tried to look anywhere but Rukia. If she hadn't moved when she had . . . he probably would have kissed her.

"What _is_ that thing?" she asked.

"Well, it's a decoration. Tradition. People put them up in their yard to scare the little kids. And the older ones, too," Ichigo added as an afterthought, mental images of Rukia hitting him for the insult ramming into his mind.

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's a Tradition . . . or a custom. My dad had one of these things last year."

"Ghosts don't look like that, though," Rukia argued. "They look the exact same as when they died."

"So the guy was incredibly old and was wearing a sheet. So what?" Ichigo asked, punching the ghost to make it go back inside.

"So, it's wrong," Rukia decided, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the ghost again. Ichigo sighed.

"No, it's not really. It's just someone else's opinion."

"Someone who knows _nothing_ about ghosts."

"So what?"

"So what what?"

"Rukia!"

"Sorry."

Ichigo groaned and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky. It had long since gone dark, and the stars were filling the sky with a bright light.

"Soo . . . if ghosts look _so_ wrong in this world . . . I wonder what Santa Clause really looks like," Rukia said, her face scrunched up in concentration. Ichigo sighed again; something he was doing a lot tonight.

"Santa's not real," Ichigo said.

"Yeah he is," Rukia protested.

"No, he's not."

"Is."

"Not."

"Is."

"Not."

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Is not, you wacky little nutjob!"

Rukia growled and Ichigo stopped talking. She looked like she was going to bit him . . .

If you were hearing this instead of getting it explained to you, you would probably think it was an argument between two small kids. Well, Ichigo and Rukia are small in the head, so we will forgive them. Back to the story.

"Are you two done yet? It's time to go home," Karin said, walking up and kicking Ichigo in the shin. Ichigo groaned in pain as he hopped down the street.

"Well, at least you do your costume justice. You're hopping," Rukia said, smiling at Ichigo. He smiled back and Karin rolled her eyes, muttering something like "Idiots in love" under her breath.

As you might have found out already, Ichigo was wearing a bunny costume. It was much like Rukia's, only he had bunny feet to go with it, and a weird little nose.

And if you were to watch closely as they walked home and Karin and Yuzu were the only ones to go inside, you would see Ichigo and Rukia take a different path. And if you were to watch _really_ close, you would see two bunnies kissing in the soft, cold night air.

* * *

I hope you liked it!

**Please Review!**


	29. Oct 31 — Daddy Pt: VI — I See U

Well, here it is! Daddy Pt: V! It is very possible I will do another one, too!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters.

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Daddy Pt: VI — I See U

"Mama!"

Rukia sighed as she heard the small, soft voice of her little girl call. She put the dish inside the washer and dried her hands, walking into her daughter's room and picking the small child up off of the floor.

"What's wrong, Masaki?"

"When daddy be home?" she asked, laying her head on her mother's chest as she grabbed one of her feet to play with.

Rukia smiled and patted her daughter's dark black hair.

"I don't know, sweetie. Why don't you go play with Kaien?"

Masaki nodded and as soon as Rukia set her down on the floor, she ran out of the room in search of her brother.

Rukia set to cleaning up the room as soon as the little girl was out of sight. Masaki was a messy girl; her clothes were strewn across the floor and hew bed was unmade, and Rukia was surprised to find a pair of socks and a stuffed rabbit under the girl's pillow. And if she thought Masaki was messy, she was nothing like Kaien. That boy was a tornado! You would find his socks and underwear stuffed inside his stuffed animals, and his toys and clothes messed for two feet thick on the floor.

He took after Ichigo.

He even looked like Ichigo; so much it was scary. He had the same orange hair, the same face shape, and even the same nose. He didn't have Ichigo's scowl, though his time around the kids was beginning to make even Ichigo's scowl disappear, and Kaien had her eyes, but all in all, he was a perfect image of his father. But Masaki was like her. Her hair had only grown darker as she grew with it. Her eyes were violet, too, exactly like Rukia's. She had neither her fathers nor her mothers personalities; she was a mix. She was soft and caring, yet at times, she could be destructive and loud. She was obedient and cheerful, but she liked playing with the boys, which was a good thing, because their new neighbors had three small boys.

Rukia smiled as she placed the bunny on the now made bed. Turning out of the room, she snapped off the light and closed the door. This action made the small hand-written sign on the door shake. It said, in very messy, child-like writing: Masaki rome. It was the cutest thing. She had made it at preschool.

Suddenly, loud cries of, "Daddy!" brought Rukia to the front door. She leaned up against it as she watched Ichigo being jumped on by both kids. He looked up at her and smiled, picking Masaki up and placing her on his shoulders and patting Kaien's head. The kids were both laughing and smiling.

"How was your day?" he asked, walking inside and putting Masaki down on the floor. She giggled and ran into the other room, Kaien right after her.

"Good. I had to take an unexplained break because of a Hollow, but I doubt they'll fire me or anything. And I don't know why Renji didn't take care of it; this is supposed to be his patrol now," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes.

Rukia just smiled, turning around and kissing him before walking off to do the dishes.

* * *

"I miss having a baby." 

Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts as Rukia spoke. He rolled around in the bed, coming to face her. She smiled at him, playing with the fabric on the quilt she was laying on.

"Hm?" Ichigo asked, resting his head on her arm. She played with his hair as she spoke.

"I miss having a baby. Masaki and Kaien are going to school now, and I'm all alone in the house until they get home," Rukia said, her gaze turning to the ceiling. Ichigo smiled, burying his head in her chest.

"Hmm . . want another baby?"

Rukia was sure that, for the briefest second, she heard hope in Ichigo's voice.

"That or homeschool the kids. They leave at eight in the morning, and don't get back until four. The school sees them eight hours a day while I get to see them four until their bedtime. They see more of Masaki and Kaien then I do."

Ichigo had never really thought about it, but it was true.

"You really want to homeschool?" he asked, looking up at her. She smiled.

"I might."

"Well, have you asked them?" Ichigo asked, though he liked the idea a whole lot more than he was letting on.

"No, but I don't think they'd mind. Kaien came home with a cut today; he said that an older boy pushed him down because of his hair," Rukia said worriedly.

"What?" Ichigo asked, sitting up in bed. Rukia sat up too, sighing. She had known he would react like this. Ever since the day that Kaien had first been picked on because of his hair, Ichigo had been worried about something worse happening.

"He was pushed down on the playground because a third grader thought his hair was weird. He was sent to the nurses office; the boy had forced him to tell a lie, but when he broke down crying here at home, I knew something was wrong," Rukia said, having wormed the whole story out of Kaien a few hours ago. This did nothing to calm Ichigo down.

"So . . . homeschool? That'll be a lot of work, you know," Ichigo said, laying back down. This time Rukia laid her head on top of his chest, breathing softly as she closed her eyes.

"I know. But at least I'll be able to see my children."

And with that thought, Rukia slowly slipped into a deep sleep as Ichigo ran his fingers through her soft hair.

* * *

"Can you see her?" Masaki asked, sticking her fingers in her mouth as she looked at the little child sitting across the street. Kaien nodded, his gaze following hers as he watched the child being walked right past by several adults. He noticed that the little girl didn't even try to get the adults attention once. Then, as someone walked straight _through_ the girl, he fell back off of his tractor and hit the ground with a thump.

Ever since his mommy had started homeschooling them a month ago, they had had a lot more time to play outside. And they had seen the little girl several times, but they never saw anyone walk_ through _her!

"What that?" Masaki asked, pressing her face harder up against the fence. Kaien pulled himself up off of the ground and joined her, his hands grasping the fence next to hers. His bright orange hair was blowing in the wind as they watched.

Rukia, who was in the kitchen watching the kids so they wouldn't get in trouble, was staring across the street, too. The little girl had been hovering around for several days now. She was a small ghost; Rukia would have to talk to Ichigo about preforming Konso soon.

She groaned as she watched Kaien fall back into the mud; his once clean overalls and orange long sleeved shirt were now soiled. But she was happy to see that Masaki's green jumper and yellow sweater had made it out fine. It was October, so both of the children were dressed warmly.

That was one thing that made Rukia sure that the little girl across the street was a ghost. She was wearing shorts and a tank top; something no one in their right mind would do in this weather.

But what was more interesting was that Masaki and Kaien seemed to be looking straight at the girl. Her two children began talking to one another, and Rukia decided to open the window so she could hear what they were saying. The cold air flew in and danced around her neck, but she could now hear the small voices of her children.

"I wonder who she is," Kaien said.

"Will she pway with me?" Masaki asked, standing to her feet. She waved at the little girl, smiling. Rukia felt the urge to walk outside, or to bring the kids in, but she didn't know why.

Maybe it had to do with Ichigo's past. The first time he had seen a ghost, his mother had died protecting him.

But if something happened to Masaki or Kaien, she was too far away to help them.

Deciding to be safe rather than sorry, she quickly walked outside and told Masaki and Kaien it was time for lunch, then they had to get back to school. They both ran inside, giggling.

Rukia fed them peanut and jelly, and, before they got too far in their school books, both of them fell asleep at the table. She quietly moved them into the living room so she wouldn't wake them while cooking dinner.

They were both still sleeping when Ichigo came home that afternoon.

"Wow. I walked in without being ambushed," Ichigo said, hugging Rukia before putting his coat up. "How was your day with the kids?"

Rukia smiled and replied that it was fun. She liked having the kids around during the day, and they liked it better than public school.

"Good."

"How was your day? You seem . . upset," Rukia observed, walking into the kitchen with Ichigo on her heels. He smiled sadly.

"Ah, nothing bad. I just had to preform Konso on a little girl today. It never used to bother me, but the little girl looked so much like Masaki . . . I keep thinking that someday it will be her or Kaien," Ichigo said sadly, leaning up against the counter and grabbing a carrot stick before Rukia slapped his hand playfully.

"No picking in dinner."

Ichigo pretended to pout, but then grabbed Rukia round the waist and rested his chin on her head. He breathed in heavily; she smelled like strawberries.

"I got a call from Yuzu today," Ichigo continued, munching happily on the carrot stick.

"Really? How is she doing?" Rukia asked, slapping his hand again as he tried to steel another carrot stick.

"Good. She and Karin are going nuts cooped up in that house with dad. Their thinking about moving out and renting an apartment together so they can split the rent while their in college. Hey, are you still thinking about a baby?"

Ichigo's last question took Rukia completely off-guard. But again, she heard hope in his voice.

"Why do you ask?"

"Ah, I dunno. It was just something one of my co-workers said at work today."

"What did he say?" Rukia asked, her attention turning from chopping the carrots and onto Ichigo.

"His wife got pregnant . . . and he wants her to have an abortion. He was telling all the guys at the office, and they all agreed. But I pretty much stayed out of the conversation. I just don't get how anyone could want to kill a baby . . . I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to Masaki or Kaien," Ichigo said, smiling as he watched them sleeping in the other room. Kaien was slumped over the couch, his dirty clothes rubbing off on the soft, brown fabric and Masaki was curled into a tiny ball on the floor, her stuffed bunny hugged to her and her fingers in her mouth.

"Well, I've been thinking about a baby. . ." Rukia started.

"And?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrow raising.

"And if one comes along, that's great, but we don't need to worry about it. I have the kids at home now; but Masaki has been asking for a baby sister lately," Rukia said, laughing. "She wants one for her birthday, she said."

Ichigo smiled sadly, but hid it, turning away to look at the kids again.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the window.

Walking over, he gently closed it, hoping that the sound didn't wake Masaki and Kaien.

"That's good. I wouldn't mind a baby, either. You know I still wake up in the middle of the night?" Ichigo asked, walking over and gently pulling Rukia into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, breathing in his scent. It was always the same; he always smelled the same, no matter what. Ichigo continued, "Yeah. I still wake up and for a second, I listen for the cry of Masaki or Kaien . . or both."

Rukia laughed softly, remembering the first few months with Masaki. She and Kaien would both wake up in the middle of the night at different times, making it impossible for either her or Ichigo to sleep.

"But then I realize that they both sleep through the night now, most of the time. I love it when one of them comes and curls up in our bed, though. Like in the thunderstorms when Kaien and Masaki both come running in and jump under our blankets. God, I love them so much," he whispered, smiling into Rukia's hair.

She looked up at him, her soft face breaking into a smile as she leaned up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss, pushing her back against the wall.

"Daddy!"

Ichigo pulled back and smiled slyly at Rukia as he looked down to see Masaki jumping up and down in front of him. Her black hair was a mess and she looked very sleepy, but her eyes were smiling.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, leaning down in front of her and hugging her. Masaki smiled and hugged him back, kissing him on the cheek. She then giggled and ran off into the living room, jumping on top of Kaien and singing happily, "Daddy's home! Daddy's home!"

Soon both children ran into the kitchen. Ichigo smiled and kissed Rukia on the cheek, whispering, "We'll continue later."

Rukia nodded and went back to chopping carrots while Ichigo sat both children down at the table and began helping Kaien and Masaki with their ABC's. Masaki wasn't supposed to be learning them yet, but when Rukia had began homeschooling the kids, she had zipped through a whole thirty page pre-school book in one day and began dwiddling in Kaien's book. They had found that pre-school had been holding her back, and had let her learn everything with Kaien, as she was smart for her age and could keep up.

"Daddy?" Masaki asked, writing the last letter down and handing it to him. "How'd I do?"

"You did great. Kaien, can I see what you did?"

Kaien proudly held up his paper and smiled, showing his missing tooth in the process.

"Wow! You both did great. How about we play outside now?"

That earned happy shouts from both of the kids and, after putting on their coats, socks and shoes, Ichigo led them outside where whey began jumping up and down on him.

Rukia smiled from the kitchen window. Ichigo caught her eye and grinned, his eyes filled with happiness as he played dead and got a very rewarding reaction from Masaki and Kaien. Rukia shook her head and dropped the carrots into the stew she was making for dinner.

He was such a goofball.

* * *

Later that night, Rukia was just changing into her nightshirt when Ichigo walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. 

"The kids are asleep," he said, his lips trailing up to nibble on her ear. Rukia smiled and pressed herself back to Ichigo, letting the straps of her nightshirt slip down. Ichigo helped them, pushing the gown off of her and turning her around in his arms, pressing her up against the wall as he began kissing her. Rukia moaned softly as Ichigo's mouth ventured lower. Rukia soon found it unfair that she was wearing nothing while Ichigo was fully dressed and began to push her hands under his shirt. She had soon lifted it over of his head.

"I hope you know I'm ovulating now," Rukia whispered as Ichigo led her over to the bed.

"So? I want another baby," Ichigo whispered, pulling back for a second and smirking.

Rukia just smiled.

* * *

**Ovulating**: (Of a woman) To produce an egg from which a baby can be formed.

Anyway, I hope everyone liked this. I might write another, but I don't know.

**Please Review!**


	30. Nov 1 — Go Eat A Bug

I had fun writing this. I hope you have fun reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters . . . or the plot . . . and no actual worms were hurt in the making of this story.

* * *

**Go Eat a Bug**

"Ichigo, I need help with something," Rukia said, perching on the edge of his bed and holding out her Math homework. Ichigo rolled over, annoyed at having been awoken from his nap, and growled at her,

"Go eat a bug."

"Why would I do that? I ate a worm once because Renji dared me to, but I don't want to do it again. Now, will you help me with my Math, or should I go get help from Keigo or something?"

Ichigo rolled over again, stuffing his face into his pillow and groaning loudly.

"Go away. I don't care if you ask that preverted worm or not," he moaned, grabbing his pillow out from under his head and stuffing it over his ears.

"He's a worm?'

Ichigo groaned again.

"Come on, I need help."

"Since when have you cared about homework?" Ichigo asked, eyeing her from under the safe haven of his pillow.

"Since I was almost sent back to grade school. Help. Me. Now," she said, grabbing his pillow and hitting him on the head.

Ichigo jumped up from his bed and grabbed it back from her, hitting her with all the force his sleepy body could muster. She squeaked and jumped away, her Math homework flying all around the room.

Ichigo smirked.

"What are you looking so evil for?" Rukia asked, picking herself up off of the ground, where she had fallen from the force of the pillow.

"Pillow fight!" Ichigo yelled.

Needless to say, in all the mess of feathers, and the loud squeals from both Ichigo and Rukia, the Math homework was forgotten.

* * *

Can you spell useless fluff? Hmm? Anyway, thanks for reading! Also, tomorrows story might not be up on time because I am not going to get to a computer until almost midnight, so if it's a day late, SORRY!

**Please Review!**


	31. Nov 2 — Video Games

Hi! I got a hold of a computer, so I'm writing!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters.

* * *

**Video Games**

"Ichigo, what is that you're doing?" Rukia asked, perching on the edge of the couch as she watched him stare at the TV screen. In his hand was something that looked like a remote control. He kept pressing buttons on the remote, and as he did, the little person on the screen would move.

"I'm playing a video game. Now shoo," Ichigo said, taking one hand off of the remote and using it to make a moving motion; basically telling Rukia to get lost.

"Can I play?" Rukia asked hopefully.

"No."

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. She said, "Why not?"

"Because you're a girl," Ichigo answered, cursing under his breath as the player on the screen was killed.

"Well, I see Inoue-San playing games like this," Rukia replied, remembering the time last week when Inoue had hauled her over to her small apartment for lunch. She had had one of these games, too.

"Well, anyone who has a friend like Tatsuki playes video games; that girl is practically a boy, anyway, and Inoue copies everything she does," Ichigo answered, selecting a few options that popped up on the screen and then beginning to shoot people again.

"I want to play," Rukia said, not moving from her spot.

Ichigo sighed, trying his best to ignore her.

Needless to say, Rukia didn't like this.

So, five minutes later, Rukia was sitting on the couch with what was called a "Controller" in her hands and Ichigo leaning over her shoulder showing her how to work the controls as he pressed an ice pack to his cheek.

"Thanks, Ichigo," Rukia said, smiling as the little player moved across the TV. He smiled, though he was sure not to let her see it.

"Whatever, baka."

* * *

Well, I had to write it quick, but this was a little something I've wanted to do for a while. Not the best I could have done, but I was able to catch a computer at school, so I wrote this in like . . . ten minutes.

**Please Review!**


	32. Nov 3 — One Last Time

This is yet _another_ short one, but for two reasons; I am short on time, and I just like short things because I feel that they get things across better. Oh . . . and . . .

**One more day to go!**

I will probably not be doing a November Story A Day, because I am writing in Fanfiction NaNoWriMo! Yah! But I might do one, who knows? Just not right away. Will probably start it mid-month or something.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or the characters. I do, however, own this terribly boring plotline.

* * *

**One Last Time**

She sits upon the rock, watching as the waves crash upon the shore with such force that it scares her. The water blows in the air and sprays everything around it, causing her to wince as the cold substance falls upon her face. Sighing, she shakes her head and closes her eyes again, smiling gently as the wind blows at her face.

It's a cold September day, but she doesn't care. She hadn't even put on a jacket before leaving the house.

She really should have; the cold was now wipping around her face and blowing under her short skirt. She shivers and tightens her grip on herself as the cold water licks at her bare feet.

_I don't want to stay . . ._

Dark is approaching and the moon is coming out. She watches as the stars slowly fill the sky, and she knows that she should be heading back, but she doesn't want to move. Tonight, here alone, she can think.

She has to stay; with her family, her friends and those she works under. They need her, and she needs them.

But she needs _him_, too.

She doesn't realize that she's crying until the cold wind catches the teardrop that is sliding down her face and blows it away from her soft, pale skin.

She gasps softly as she feels the scraping against her skin of a jacket being wrapped around her. She doesn't turn around as it is pulled tighy around her small frame; she knows who it is.

"I want to be alone," she says quietly, not fully believing the words herself. He doesn't believe her, either.

"Do you really?"

His voice gives him away, and she is now sure of who he is. His bright orange hair is blowing in the wind as he looks down at her, his face bearing a small frown. She doesn't speak as he sits down beside her and puts his arms around her. She stiffens a little, but the relaxes in his grip, resting her head on his chest as she wipes away her last few tears.

"I don't want to stay, but I have to," she says quietly, not moving from her position in his arms. He smiles sadly and rests his chin on her smooth, blach hair.

"I know."

"I don't want to leave you."

"And I don't want you to leave me. But _you have to,_" he says, looking up into the sky. "See those stars?"

She looks up into the night sky which is now filled with a million stars and nods.

"Find the most beautiful one."

She looks confused, but begins searching the sky. Finally, she reaches a hand out and points to a very bright, beautiful star in the middle of the sky.

"That one," she says, pulling her hand back.

"Everytime you think of me, look up at that star, and I promise . . . I'll be looking, too. That can be our star, OK?"

She smiles and nods, burying her face in the crook of his arm as he holds her tightly for what could be the last time.

* * *

For those of you who didn't guess, those two were Rukia and Ichigo. :P 

Well, that was something that came to me while I was cooking dinner last night. _(Shrugs)_ Pasta can do weird things to you.

**Please Review!**


	33. Nov 4 — The End?

Alas, this is the end. Never fear, though. I will start a new story-a -day soon enough. I am thinking the next one ill start December 1st and go through January 1st. What do you all think?

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has helped make this so successful! I currently have **147** reviews; **34** favorites and **33 **alerts! Wow! _(Hugs everyone) _THANKS!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters!

* * *

**The End?**

"Is that it?" Rukia asked, staring at the last page of the book. "_That's_ the end?" she exclaimed. Ichigo, who was lying on his bed and doing his best to totally ignore her, said,

"Yeah. It's the end. But I don't get why you're so surprised. That book has a good ending," he said, sighing as he went back to trying to read his own book. Rukia glared at him and put the book down on the floor as she rose to her feet and walked over to Ichigo, dropping down on the edge of his bed.

She spoke as he did his best to kick her off.

"That's not a good ending! The guy _died_!"

"So? Look, the point of the book was _romance_," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes.

"So . . . why did you read it, then?" Rukia asked, her violet eyes shinning as she kicked her feet back and forth, having evaded Ichigo's shoe that had been trying it's best to make her sit on the floor again.

Ichigo turned a brilliant shade of red as he buried his face back into his book.

"Just because it's by an author I like. Now, leave me alone."

Rukia was quiet for a second, allowing Ichigo to read nearly two more pages in his book. Then, she said,

"I still think the ending sucked."

Ichigo groaned and put his book down, sitting up and crossing his legs as he glared at Rukia.

"Look, if I explain the book, will you leave me alone?"

Rukia seemed to think for a minute then nodded, turning around so she could face him. Ichigo sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the ceiling. Rukia tapped her fingers and said,

"Anyday now . . ."

"Alright. Fine. The point of the book is really love; In the beginning, the main character, Ryou, meets the other main character, Sakura. Um . . . how did the meet again?" Ichigo asked, scratching his head.

"He bumped into her and made her fall into the lake," Rukia said.

"Right," Ichigo said, nodding. "Anyway, he accidentally hauls her into his life of a gangster, and when he tells her to leave him because it's too dangerous; she doesn't listen and stays because she thinks that he's special. Why she thinks that, I'm not quite sure . . ." Ichigo thought for a moment. "I think she won't leave because she feels that he is special and that she likes him or something. Anyway, back to the plot. She doesn't listen to him and instead stays by his side and gets caught up in a death. He begs her to leave again because he loves her and doesn't want anything to happen to her. But she doesn't listen," Ichigo explained.

"Why _should_ she listen? Because while I was reading the book, it came across as she loved him, too."

"Whatever. But she wouldn't leave, and so she got caught up in his problems, and now she is fighting for her life while he is trying to protect her. But in the middle of the book, she get's taken hostage and held for ransom; but the guy doesn't want money, he wants Ryou instead because he has this big grudge of him from something he did in the past, which we later figure out to be someone that Ryou killed."

"You know, the girl in the book sounds as thickheaded as you," Rukia said, laughing. Ichigo glared at her.

"At least I'm not in love with a manic that everyone has it in for," Ichigo said, sighing. "Anyway, can we get back to the story?"

Rukia nodded eagerly.

"Anyway, after Sakura get's loose, Ryou is still being held captive. In the end, Sakura fails to rescue him and he is killed. But before he dies, he is able to tell her that he loves her, so he died peacefully," Ichigo said. "Now, can I get back to my book?"

"But what happened to her? Did she ever get over him? Because she loved him, too," Rukia pointed out.

"Well, sure she loved him. But she had to move on because that was what he asked her to do. Remember? On the last page, as he died, he begged her to move on and forget about him."

"Of course I remember baka! But can someone really forget about someone they really love? I don't think I could," she said, turning the book which she had just picked up around in her hands.

"Nah, I don't think she'll ever forget him, but she'll move on, because he asked her to," Ichigo said, putting down his book and crossing his arms.

"Well, I think that he should have lived. Then there could have been a happy ending," Rukia argued, opening the book up again and running her hand over the soft paper.

"Yes, but are there really ever any happy endings?" Ichigo asked quietly. "When two people love each other . . . it seems that it never really lasts." Ichigo averted his eyes from Rukia and stared up at the ceiling. "My dad loved my mom more than anything in the world; but she died. She dies after they had only been together for ten years. Does happiness really exist?"

"Sure it does. For some people. But for others I guess not. Nii-Sama loved my sister, too. But she died," Rukia said, smiling sadly. "But happy endings do exist. I know they do."

"Maybe not for us, huh?" Ichigo said, leaning back on his bed as he folded his arms under his head.

Rukia just smiled and closed the book, her hand lingering over the title for a second before she climbed off of Ichigo's bed and began walking back to her closet, placing the book on the bedside table.

"Maybe. Maybe not," she said, smiling back at Ichigo, who was no longer trying to read his book, but was instead just looking out the window. "But happy endings _do_ exist. I promise."

* * *

THE END! Muhahaha! Well, that's the last one for this month. I hope you enjoyed it! I really liked writing it, and thought it fit well. What do you think?

Can anyone see how the story is kinda like Ichigo and Rukia's life? Or did I not get that across well enough?

****

◦♥◦♥◦NOTICE: A Story A Day Keeps The Arrancar Away is up! It is the continuation to this one!◦♥◦♥◦


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